Stars
by Firefly-shy
Summary: Usagi, Mamoru, the Senshi and Shitennou are in rival bands - as they compete with each other sparks fly. Set in an semi-alternate universe, normal life. Done to death idea, I know, but with hopefully new twists. RxR
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sailor Moon.

This is a little on the punny side. Over-used idea, but hopefully it'll still be entertaining and maybe go in some interesting directions. Some of the names have been shortened or (in the case of the Shitennou) made up - but I think they're not too hard to figure out. Just a random idea I had to write out - thanks!

* * *

"This is Gray." Kipling Gray answered his cell phone with a deep sense of foreboding, mixed with a pinch of weariness.

"Uh...we have a problem, Kip."

Kip sighed, adjust the collar of his black suit coat and motioned to the driver to slow down.

"What is it, Jude?"

Jude, the man on the other end of the line, sounded both quiet and worried – in other words, quite normal for him.

"We're at ten and I've just broken a string on my Dobro, and all the replacements are gone. Nolan's feeling sick, and...I can't find our lead singer anywhere."

Kip stared at the dark glass of the car's passenger window. In his reflection he saw a worn looking man in his late twenties whose prematurely entirely gray hair was not helping his appearance one bit. He rubbed his head and took a deep breath.

"Alright, I'll be there in five minutes. In the mean time, ask Nolan if you can borrow one of his strings – I'm sure he has some, he probably just forgot that he does. And have M run through the songs in the set in case we can't find Zoe in time."

"I just talked to him about it," Jude answered, dolefully, "And he says he 'doesn't feel like it'."

"He doesn't feel like it, huh?"

"Well," Kip continued, lifting his glass of scotch to his lips: "You can tell him that unless he feels like getting on a plane and heading straight back to Japan, he can start practicing the set now."

There was a moment of static while Jude relayed this message to his band member.

"He says 'ok'," Jude reported a moment later, "But he won't do the 'Heavenly' song."

"I don't blame him, it sucks..." Kip muttered.

"It's a deal. Oh, and Jude? If you do find Zoe before the show starts...please punch him."

Jude laughed, quietly.

"You don't want to ruin the 'image', do you?"

"I didn't say you had to punch him in the face," Kip growled. He tapped the driver on the shoulder to let him know to speed up.

"Yes, sir."

"Goodbye, Jude."

Kip leaned back and slipped his glasses on for the two minute nap he still had time to take before all hell broke loose.

* * *

Three thousand miles away, Mina Aino stretched her legs on the deck chair of the ocean liner and re-adjusted her head pillow.

Beside her, her cousin and best friend since grade school, Usa Tsukino, gave a sigh and flopped into the neighboring deck chair which abruptly collapsed under her weight.

Mina giggled unsympathetically at her cousin's predicament while Usa yelped and became even more entangled in the chair.

"Looks like you could use a hand," a whiskey and honey voice said. Both Mina and Usa squinted up into the sun which outlined a tall shadow with a head full of bushy, curly hair.

"Yeah, thanks, Mako." Usa said, sticking out a hand in the other girl's general direction. Mako grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the man-eating chair.

"Have you been having seconds at the all day buffet?" Mako asked, surprised.

"No!" Usa yelled, her face turning a little red.

"Sure she has, just look at her," Mina chuckled. She put her hands behind her head and relaxed back again.

"What do you have there, Mako?" Usa asked as she watched Mako pull out a deck chair for herself and place it safely on the cruise ship's deck.

"Oh, it's the latest edition of _Rolling Stones_ – they have an interview with one of my favorite bands."

"You mean _Ai No Soldier_ isn't your favorite?" Mina asked, playfully, "Isn't that a bit wrong?"

"Whatever," Mako laughed, "Of course we're way better, but it's nice to have a change once in a while."

"That's for sure," Usa nodded, "I think I'm getting carpal tunnel in this wrist."

"Well, enjoy vacation then," Mina suggested. Usa humphed and lay back on her chair.

"So read the interview," she asked Mako who sat down beside them, drawing her long legs up the chair so that they wouldn't dangle off the end.

"Alright, alright."

Mako flipped through the pages and found the place.

"It's an interview with three of the band members and their manager."

"Which ones?" Usa asked, excitedly.

"Uh...lemme see...uh, looks like the drummer -"

"Awesome!" Usa chirped, beating out a strange tattoo on the arms of her deck chair, her carpal tunnel momentarily forgotten.

"And the guitarist, Nolan, and Zoe, of course -"

"Zoe!" Usa sighed.

"He's so cute," Mako sighed.

"He looks like an angel," They chorused.

"Looks can be deceiving," Mina muttered and returned to her sunbathing. She was almost asleep, lulled by the sound of Mako's deep voice, until something startled her awake.

"What did you say?" she demanded, startling both Usa and Mako.

"Uh...they've decided to do a complete national tour starting this month?"

"No, before that."

Mina sat up straight and took off her glasses. Usa and Mako exchanged a look, but Mako continued to back track.

"Er..._Four Kings_' manager, Kipling Gray, states that the band will -"

"Kipling Gray?" Mina repeated, "Did you say Kipling Gray?"

"Yeah," Mako answered, slowly holding out the magazine. Mina snatched it and scanned the page rapidly, muttering to herself.

Usa and Mako continued to stare at her.

"I knew it," Mina uttered emphatically and tossed the magazine back at Mako.

"What was all that about?" she asked, trying to find her place again in the article.

Mina didn't reply, for a moment she merely stared out to sea.

"Uh, Mi?" Usa asked, poking her timidly.

"Are you alright?"

Mina turned to them both and flashed them the glittering smile she usually reserved for her favorite audiences.

"Fine." she said.

"You sure are acting weird."

"Who's acting weird?" asked a smooth, svelt voice from behind.

The girls turned to see Rei Hino, her long hair pulled back and a large brimmed hat on her head. She also wore a long sleeved, cotton blouse and trousers. The over all effect was cool and stylish.

"You won't get any sun like that," Mina commented.

"Unlike most of you," Rei answered, "I prefer not to look like a baked potato chip."

"Vampire," Mina muttered, not without affection.

"I heard that."

"Mina's being weird," Usa volunteered.

Rei lifted an elegant eyebrow above her rather large sunglasses.

"I can't say I'm surprised."

Mina stuck out her tongue.

"Here, I brought you a water - and this is the thanks I get."

"Thanks."

Rei placed the water bottle next Mina's arm on the deck chair.

"Well, I didn't want you to pass out from dehydration after letting your body fry in the sun for the sake of fashion."

Mina thought about retorting to this but laughed instead. Rei drifted over to the rail and turned her back to the sea to face the others.

"Where's Ami?"

"I think she's pestering the captain to let her explore the ship's engine room." Mako answered.

"Fascinating."

"There's an article in here on _Four Kings_," Usa spoke up, "Mako's been reading it. Do you want -"

"What's the Four Kings?" Rei asked.

There was sudden and intense silence as all three blinked at her in unison.

"You've never heard of _Four Kings_?"

"As in poker...?"

Mako shook her head in awe.

"They're only the most popular band in America right now."

Rei shrugged.

"I don't live in America."

Mina tipped her sun glasses down.

"No," she answered, "But you will soon."

"So I need to research the competition?" Rei asked.

"No," Usa exclaimed, "Research the hotties!"

"Excuse me?"

Rei looked rather unamused.

"Just look at them, even you have to admit they're good looking, ok?"

Usa grabbed the magazine out of Mako's hand and turned to the fold out poster of the band. She flipped it down and held it out for Rei to inspect.

"What do you think?" she asked, expectantly.

Rei took off her sunglasses and looked at the poster with disinterest. It showed four young men - two blonds, a brunette, and a man with very black hair - posed in varying attitudes of lassitude, introspection, apathy, and narcissism. A man with odd white hair was posed behind them - he looked vaguely bored.

"They look very immature."

Usa's mouth dropped open.

"All except for that one," she went on, pointing at the manager, "He's not bad."

Usa blinked again before her frenetic mind snapped.

"How can you say that!?" she screamed, and several of the other passengers, including two elderly ladies, jerked their heads in her direction.

"Look at this! Just look at this guy! He's beautiful!" She continued, jabbing at the page while Rei began to feel extremely embarrassed.

"Hush!" she hissed. People continued to stare at Usa holding the page open on a magazine they couldn't identify. The whole thing didn't look very good.

"Alright," Usa huffed, "Just look at that," she slapped the picture of Zoe, which happened to be in the middle of the fold out. He had undeniably angelic good looks, but Rei didn't feel like flattering Usa's favorite band, at the moment.

"You can't tell me that isn't beautiful. That doesn't make you drool -"

Out of the corner of her eye, Rei caught the old ladies shaking their heads in disapproval and outraged shock.

"People are misunderstanding, you nit wit!" she growled, and grabbed the magazine – smacking Usa on the forehead with it and then flinging it toward Mako.

Usa rubbed her head and sat heavily on her chair, which attempted to swallow her.

"Not again," Mako grumbled. She reached over to start disentangling Usa and the chair.

"I understand your feelings," Mina murmured as Rei sat down beside her, trying to regain her cool composure, "But I'd appreciate it if you didn't kill our drummer until we're back in Japan."

"I can't promise anything," Rei grumbled, barking out an order for a mimosa to the startled waiter.

"She means well," Mina commented, philosophically. She was already thinking about the lyrics for their next hit song.

Rei snorted and closed her eyes, trying to block out the unpleasantness of Usa's howling as the chair continued to batter her.

"Let's just get to America in one piece, then we can break up after we get there – like the Beatles," Mina suggested.

"Deal." Rei smiled in spite of herself.

* * *

Ami Mizuno flipped her short hair out of her face, utterly contented at being on the deck of a cruise liner and surrounded by ocean.

She made her way through a crowd of tourists, carefully adjusting her sunglasses and hat - most people never recognized her anyway, but it was always better to be prepared. She wasn't as flashy or as notorious as Mina, the band's originator and lead singer, but people tended to remember her, if for nothing else than her odd hair color.

She was doing fine until she heard her name and jerked her head around, afraid that a fan had seen through her disguise.

To her relief she saw that one of the ocean liners' huge television screens was replaying the interview Mina had done yesterday for one of the popular American music magazines. Ami could never keep their names straight - she was glad she didn't have to deal with all of that. All the hard work behind the band was left to Mina, and their manager, of course - Sets.

"...tell us about that time in your life, Mina," the interviewer was asking.

Mina, in perfect English, smiled and replied, "Well, it's true, I started out as an actress and an idol for B Company, did some shows and a few movies...but I really felt like there was something else...you know? Some way to reach more people, I guess - And the acting career - you work with some really great people but it's sort of a one - woman job..."

"You were lonely?" the interviewer asked in surprise.

Mina crossed her legs, the image of her attractive face magnified one-hundred times on the large screen. Not for the first time, Ami was struck by the charisma and over-powering allure of Mina's features - she wasn't exactly beautiful, but she was very, very charming. Most people failed to realize the difference.

"You could say I was, I suppose, " Mina answered, "Yeah, I guess so. I wanted to work with a group. And I've always wanted to explore that side of me - the songs."

"So, you woke up one morning and said, "I think I'll start a band!" -

Mina laughed infectiously and the interviewer couldn't help but join in.

"Something like that," she admitted, "I'm a little impetuous."

Ami, watching from the floor, snorted softly at this.

"But my best friend, my cousin, Usa-chan, is a fantastic drummer - not many people know this about her," Mina continued, looking directly at the camera now, "But Usa really never wanted to be a drummer, she just picked it up as a hobby. If she hadn't joined the group she'd probably be a happy housewife by now."

They shared another laugh.

"So, how did you go about finding members for this venture?"

"Well, Rei I knew from college - we both went to the same jr. college of music and arts - but Rei is a classically trained singer and she actually prefers Jazz -"

"Yes, I have some of her singles here," the interviewer agreed, holding up a CD.

"So how did you convince her to quit Jazz and join a rock group?"

"She hasn't quit," Mina interjected swiftly, "She still records her own stuff, but she was looking for a group experience too. Don't get me wrong, it took a bit of persuasion."

Ami laughed softly at Mina's understatement. She didn't notice that a small group had gathered beside her to watch the broadcast.

"And Rei plays bass?"

"Yes, well, I can play guitar - tolerably well - but we needed a real bass player. Rei actually taught herself - she couldn't play at the time that I asked her to join - but she's really a natural with any kind of music."

"Amazing. Let's move on to your lead guitarist, Makoto Kino...there's an interesting story behind how you two met, isn't there?"

Mina grinned.

"That's the truth," she said, "I was walking down the street one day - and there was this tough looking girl on the side of the road with a guitar - and I looked at her and she looked at me - and I mean she had these bruises on her arms, and a cut above her eye - she looked like a gang leader - and I thought I'd better get out of there fast -"

The listeners and the interviewer were lapping it up.

"But then I almost walked out in front of a car and if she hadn't grabbed my arm I probably would've gotten myself killed."

"So she saved your life?"

"I'll say. In a lot of ways. We got to talking, and I found out she had moved to the city to make it big and when I heard her play I thought it was fate. She's a really great girl."

"And not a bad singer, I know a lot of people love her solos - she has such a unique voice."

"She does," Mina nodded, "I think she was voted 'sexiest female singer' in Kyoto's Youth Competition. She's the youngest, so it made the rest of us a little jealous."

"And not without reason, let's hope people in the states take to her as well."

Mina made many agreeing noises and shifted her legs.

Below her, the crowd on the increasingly packed deck craned in closer to hear the show, and a few people started to send curious glances toward Ami as her picture came up on the screen. Ami didn't notice because she was too busy criticising her own appearance and blushing.

"And last, but not least," the interviewer said, "We come to your silent member, Ami Mizuno - the prodigy, is that right?"

"That's completely right," Mina's tone grew even more chipper, "Ami is a musical genius, not to mention being an amazing mathematician and biologist. You know, I often see films of our concerts and I think to myself - how in the world did we ever get lucky enough to end up with Ami?"

Ami blushed even hotter. A few more people gave her searching glances.

"And how did you? I've heard that she was already a successful professional pianist before you asked her to join."

"Yes, that's right. She can play violin as well. Um...I really hadn't met Ami before I was given these free tickets to one of her concerts - and I'll be honest, classical really isn't my thing -"

Here most of the crowd laughed with the interviewer.

"But, I went. And it was amazing - I can't even describe to you how much it moved me. And I met her afterwards and, jokingly, suggested she chuck the classics and join my rock band...and she took me up on it."

"Incredible. Did she ever say why?"

"I think maybe..." Mina paused, for a moment.

"You know," she said, slowly, "I really think she was a little bored. Maybe she wanted a change of pace."

Ami was surprised. Boredom had entered into the equation, but there had been much more to her decision than that. Of course it had mainly been because -

"Hey, excuse me," someone said, "Aren't you her?"

The man beside her pointed at her picture on the screen.

"Um...no." She said in a small voice. She turned quickly and started to retreat back to her rooms.

"Wait, you are her, I mean, Ami Mizuno. Hey - wait!"

Everyone else was now turning to see who he was pointing at. A few of them started to follow her, mostly from curiosity.

"I just wanted to ask you -"

Ami started to run.

"Wait - I just..." the man stopped, panting, and watched as Ami's light figure disappeared into first class.

"I just wanted to ask her if that's her natural hair color."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

A large crash resounded as a piece of the drum set fell to the ground of the platform.

Jude Everest reached out and set it back in place, his hands shaking only slightly. This wasn't his first show, not by a long shot, but lately every show was beginning to terrorize his nerves. The reason for this terror had yet to appear.

"Have you seen my lucky rabbit's foot?"

Jude looked up to see band mate Nolan Starre scratching around on the floor by the front right piece of the platform.

"No," he replied, "You may have to do without, we're on in two."

Nolan uttered some sort of curse under his breath and jumped up to check on his guitar.

"No rabbit's foot, no manager, and where the hell is-" Nolan began.

"Who cares?" broke in a dark voice.

Nolan and Jude's heads swiveled as one, their expressions mixtures of annoyance and frustration. The speaker slid a pair of dark glasses off his nose to pin them down with an icy blue stare.

"We don't need the little twerp anyway."

"Hey, look, hot shot," Nolan began, frowning disapprovingly, "We were a band a long time before you jumped on board-"

"Guys, please," Jude rasped, "We have less than two minutes-"

"Hello, gentlemen," came a steady call from the backstage door.

Jude let out an almost embarrassing sigh of relief.

Kip folded his glasses and put them in his pocket as he walked slowly toward band.

"Jude, your jacket's undone," he observed, calmly, "Nolan, have you checked your back pocket for the foot? And M -"

The dark haired man in the glasses turned to face Kip in an attitude that was almost but not quite a respectful one.

"Don't forget the lyrics."

Kip smiled as M's expression slipped into shock and disappointment for a very brief moment before he covered it back up with a relative aloofness.

"Right, whatever," the younger man muttered, and went back to strumming the strings lightly.

"And, of course, the million dollar question -" Kip began.

"We don't know." they all chorused.

Kip sighed.

"Hello, gents!" a cheery voice called as a yellow and blue blur leaped to the center of the stage.

A blond man in blue-jeans and a long blue coat twirled center stage to face his band-mates with a lovely smile.

"Sorry I'm late." he said.

"Late?" Nolan asked, quietly – his deep voice had a dangerous edge to it.

"Aw, come on – you didn't think I'd ditch you did you?"

The blond man laughed and stretched out his arms.

"The thought did cross our minds, yeah," Jude added.

The other man's face fell.

"Really? You really thought I'd leave you? That hurts me, Judy, it really does."

"Please, don't call me that," Jude growled.

"Well, forgive and forget, right shades?"

The blond man turned to the man named 'M' and smiled an electrically beatific smile. It hit M square in the face and slid right off his impenetrable features to the floor.

"Geez, you guys are pissed."

"Zoe," Kip said, coming to stand on stage with the other man. He held up a quick hand to tell the stage-manager that they would be requiring five more minutes.

"Kipper!" Zoe yelled, going to hug the other man before drawing back from him in a brief moment of good judgment.

Kip folded his arms across his chest and towered over the youngest band-member.

"If you don't mind, tell me – why are you three hours and seven minutes late?"

Zoe blinked, and for the first time a hint of fear crept into his wide green eyes. He decided to make a joke out of it.

"Well – my alarm – er – there was this fabulous girl – uh – and then traffic -"

"Uh-huh."

Zoe let out a chuckle.

"But what does it matter? I'm here now, right?"

"Yes, you are," Kip answered, an odd light in his eyes.

"M," he called, without taking his eyes from Zoe's.

"Yeah?"

"You still ready to do the set?"

The others exchanged quick glances behind Kip's broad back.

"Uh...yeah. I mean, yes." M stood a little straighter.

"Excellent, that's the call," Kip reached out and took Zoe firmly by the shoulders.

"Let's leave the stage to the professionals," he suggested.

"Hey – wait a damn minute," Zoe protested, his angelic expression beginning to waver. He tugged himself out of Kip's hold as the gears for the rising platform stage began to groan to life.

"I'm the lead singer," he said, his eyes becoming hard, "And I'm here to sing."

"Not tonight you're not," Kip replied, his eyes and voice calm. Instantly the others grew very still.

"What the f-"

The noise from the crowd suddenly grew and began to drown out all other sounds. Jude picked up his drumsticks and sat down behind the drum set while the others got into place. The tall, dark haired M assumed Zoe's place at the front mic.

"You can't do this!" Zoe spat – his eyes blazing now.

"Oh, I think that I can."

Kip merely continued to gaze at him, his cool gray-green eyes firm as steel.

"You mother f-"

"Calm down, you'll ruin your voice."

Zoe was furious at this point. Almost like magic, his face transformed and the affected carelessness left his posture. All semblance of angelic qualities completely vacated his features – they were now twisted into a nasty glare. His slender hands were contracting in anger, and the vessels stuck out on his arms and at his temples.

"You have no right to do this to me," he said between his teeth.

Kip raised an eyebrow in gentle irony.

"I'm your manager," he reminded the younger man, quietly, "And until you remember to act like the professional I hired, I can't allow you to perform."

"Bull shi-"

"That's our cue," Kip continued, turning his back on the other man as the platform locked into place above them, cutting off all sound from the stage and arena. The beginning notes of the band's first song started up.

A sudden quiet decended.

"You're so self-righteous! Where do you get off punishing me!?" Zoe shouted across the room.

Kip turned slowly.

"I'm not punishing you," he answered, "I'm merely acting as your manager."

There was a moment of tense silence between the two. Two pairs of nearly matching green eyes engaged in a staring contest of wills. Then suddenly Zoe's face contorted into an impossibly angelic smile. He closed the distance between them with a few quick strides. His anger had seemingly vanished.

"Yeah," he said, quietly, "You're just my manager, right? So say what you want to me here – do what's best for the band. Like you always do."

"But when the show's over -" he added, bringing his face close to Kip's, his eyes glaring hatefully, even while he continued to smile:

"When the show's over, you can leave me the hell alone. You're my manager, or you're nothing to me – you got that?"

Kip simply stared at him for a long moment, then finally he nodded.

"Yeah, I got it."

"Good," Zoe spat, and shoved his way past the other man to stalk out the door.

Kip stared at the door as it swung shut.

"Uh, excuse me, sir," one of the stage hands said – he was new and obviously didn't know who Kip was, other than that he was an extremely important person.

"Uh, is – if you don't need me – uh, I'll just take Mr. Greene's equipment back to the locker - if he's not going to need it tonight."

"That's fine, he won't need it tonight," Kip answered; he suddenly felt very tired and very old.

"I can't believe I gave up the police force for this..." he muttered, and slowly walked to the arena entrance to watch the show.

* * *

A tall woman with an air of elegance and sophistication that marked her almost as a different species from those normal people around her stood quietly in the booth of the recording studio.

Through the glass she watched as the ever vivacious Mina Aino, her hair pulled back in a long, golden pony tail, stepped up to the mic and hummed a bit to clear her throat.

Beside her, Mako, her long hair down for once, tightened a string on her guitar. She took a moment to blow a stray whisp of ruddy brown hair out of her face and behind the glass one of the male techs sighed.

The mysterious woman smiled to herself. All the members of _Ai No Soldier_ were very talented, but it didn't hurt that they were attractive as well.

And if the techs and recording studio workers were anything to judge by, America was going to love the band.

From the other side of the glass, Rei wiped a speck of dust that only she could see off of the neck of her bass guitar and flexed her elegant fingers. She turned to look at the two people behind her, a bit impatiently.

Since the first song was one of the few that required neither violin nor piano, Ami was sitting at her closed instrument while flipping quietly through a science magazine – her glasses kept slipping down her nose.

To her left, Usa was busy tearing off huge strips of duck tape and applying them liberally to her drum set and the recording studio's floor.

"Uh, excuse me Miss Meioh," one of the techs asked, "But, why is Miss Tsukino taping her drum set to the floor?"

"Don't ask," Setsuna replied, smiling. It was her trade mark smile – the one she had developed early in her career. It tended to both provoke curiosity and to shut people up – both of these reactions amused Setsuna greatly.

Usa sat down at her drum set and flipped the sticks between her fingers – beating out a quick, exuberant solo. As she hit the last drum her elbow hit one of the cymbals and it tottered bumping into the chair beside it. Usa reached over the rest of the set to catch it – and if the other pieces hadn't been securely taped to the floor she would have decimated her drum set.

As it was she simply pulled out the tape and took care of the cymbal.

"Oh, that's why," the tech muttered.

Setsuna chuckled.

Mina gave them a count and Usa picked it up, beating out the count quickly before literally launching herself into the song. Mako picked up with her quickly, she and Rei playing in counter point while Mina picked up the melody.

Mina took a breath and began to sing.

Not for the first time, Setsuna listened with pleasure to Mina's voice – noting that, while it wasn't a unique sound, it was a very enjoyable one. Mina put her heart into her singing – her songs felt more than they sounded – so to speak. It was the major part of her appeal.

They were borrowing the recording studio for the day – they weren't actually recording anything new - they'd already done all the work on their recent album. But Mina wanted to try out the new things she'd come up with on the voyage to California, and so Sets had booked the studio for her to practice.

As the song wrapped up with a loud finish, Setsuna gave them a thumbs up sign.

Mina smiled and nodded and the others put their instruments down. Setsuna motioned to the crew and then stepped into the studio. She walked over to Mina, and waited as the younger woman took a long swig of water.

"That was pretty good," Sets admitted, "It's got a lot of raw power behind it."

"Thanks," Mina smiled.

"But..." she added, playfully – noting the expression on her manager's face.

"But," Setsuna said, smiling, "I don't think we can use it for the next show."

"Why not?"

Setsuna had worked with many singers and bands in her time, and it was moments like these that she thanked her stars that Mina Aino, the world's most easy-going and amiable star, had decided on her as a manager. Instead of blowing up or even sounding disappointed at Setsuna's decision, Mina merely seemed curious.

"Well, it's mainly the lyrics. I like it because it's a very different direction for you," Sets commented, "But I think, because of the change in mood, and because it's different, that we shouldn't mix it with the set. They won't mesh well."

"Oh, I see."

"Just out of curiosity," Sets continued, eying Mina's distracted expression thoughtfully, "Where did you come up with the idea for this song? It's an unusual topic for you – or I suppose I should say, it's an unusual treatment of your usual topic – lost love."

Mina blinked, her eyes looking wary for a moment before her normal, happy smile returned.

"Oh, I don't know. All our love songs are so happy, you know, I guess...I thought I'd try something different?"

"Really?" Setsuna was completely unconvinced.

"Yeah," Mina shrugged.

"I like it," Mako commented, coming to stand beside them.

"I mean, I know it's sad," she went on, a little bashfully, "But I think it's kinda angry too – you know – like she really can't decide if she wants to kill the bastard or kiss him."

"Well, that's one way to put it," Rei commented, wryly – but not without humor.

"I think everyone's felt that way before," Mako finished, her voice becoming gruffer as she became more embarrassed by her own admission.

"Certainly," Setsuna said, trying to hide her smile. Her eyes twinkled for a moment as she looked at both Mina and Mako.

"Certainly everyone has..." she repeated, thoughtfully.

"Well, carry on, you had at least two more you wanted to try, right?"

"Yep!" Mina chirped.

"Alright then, impress me," Setsuna said with a smile.

"If the next are any good we may use them at the benefit concert next week."

"Isn't that when we're playing with _Four Kings_?" Ami asked, putting her magazine on the piano bench while she opened the instrument.

"That's right, so practice hard. You don't want to leave a bad impression."

Setsuna chuckled to herself as she walked back to the glass door and went to her seat.

As they started up again, she kept her eyes on Mina's face. Slowly, her signature smile crept across her lips.

* * *

**Author Note:** Thank you for reading so far. Yes, Zoisite is an ass - but his attitude will be explained, as well as the full extent of his relationship with Kunzite. I promise. Again, thanks for reading and reviewing, and trusting me this far. - F.F.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Zoe stalked out of the arena to the bar across the street. Even walking across the crowded traffic he could hear M's smooth voice covering his songs. Angrily he kicked a can into a puddle and cursed. Outside the bar, the lights were dim and the music blaringly loud - not many people could see him clearly, and he couldn't hear M's voice anymore.

"Perfect." he muttered.

"Hey, aren't you -" he heard a feminine voice say.

He looked around. A red head in a gold top was walking up to him. She looked gawdy even in the half light.

"You're Zoe Greene, aren't you?" she asked, her voice pitched only for his ears. Apparently she didn't want to draw attention to the fact, for which he was grateful.

"That's right, that's me. Want an autograph?" His tone plainly said 'shove off'.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Aren't you supposed to be playing a concert right now?"

"I thought there was something I forgot...listen, if you don't mind, I'd like to get pissed by myself. So, no hard feelings or anything, but can you please sod off?"

She looked shocked for a moment and he started to walk past her when she pushed his shoulder and he stumbled back.

"Listen, you little asshole," she snarled, "You may think you're pretty tough, but you're by yourself here. So watch your mouth."

"Watch yours -"

"You know, I really can't stand people like you," she went on, "Two-faced, stuck up idols. You think because people pay you ridiculous amounts of money for doing nothing, that makes you special and you can treat everyone else like shit."

She leaned in closer.

"You're just a fake aren't you?," she whispered, "I thought that, the first time I saw you on the screen."

"Why don't you go somewhere you're actually wanted?" he suggested.

She stared at him for a moment.

"Like a brothel, perhaps."

Her eyes snapped into slits.

"What you need is someone to put you in your place." She said and slapped him so hard he saw stars.

There was a moment of silence while she stared at the blood that trickled down his cheek from the small cut her ring had made.

Zoe let out a low laugh. The woman recovered herself and turned quickly. She walked off down the street and he watched her until she turned the corner.

"You're wrong," he murmured, fingering his jaw. He looked at the smudge of blood on his fingers.

"I'm not special."

Jamming his hands into his pockets, he turned abruptly away from the bar and headed into the dark street in the opposite direction.

* * *

"I can't believe we get to play with _Four Kings_!"

Usa was throwing her drum sticks into the air like batons. Both of them fell on her head and clattered to the street outside the recording studio.

The others, already in the waiting car, stiffled a mutual groan.

"Can you please think about something else?" Rei asked, "They can't be that great."

Immediately she wished she'd held her tongue.

"Not that great?" Usa gasped as she strapped herself in next to Mako.

"You really don't know anything about them?" Mako asked Rei, curiously.

Rei shrugged.

"What's to know?" she asked, indifferently.

"I really can't believe your attitude," Usa exclaimed, disapprovingly, "They are really good looking and talented and gorgeous and good singers and -"

"Good looking," Mina prompted.

The others giggled at Usa's expression.

"Yes, I'm shallow," she declared, "Alright, I admit it. But I'm still right."

"Alright, fine," Rei sighed, "Tell me all about them..."

"But!" she exclaimed, seeing Usa's face light up, "The expurgated version, please."

"The whats-it?"

"She means, the short version," Ami explained.

"Ok, well there's four of them -"

"I had guessed from the name," Rei commented. Ami, Mina and Mako snickered.

"-And they are all really good looking -"

"Yes, you mentioned that."

"Stats -" Usa exclaimed, suddenly jumping up in her seat and striking a proclaiming sort of pose.

"Eldest member - Nolan Terrance Starre, lead guitarist - height: six foot, four; brown eyes, brown hair - twenty-five years old -"

"This really isn't necessary," Rei began.

"Second eldest member - Jude Alexander Everest, drummer - height: five-foot, nine; blue eyes, blond hair - twenty-four years old -"

"Again, you really don't have to-"

"Third eldest member - name unknown, goes by 'M', guitarist and vocalist - height -"

"Usa!"

Usa stopped, looking disappointed. The others looked rather relieved.

"Just give me the basics," Rei tried again, patiently, "Just tell me about their music, or something..."

"Don't you want to hear about Zoe?" Usa asked, in a small and very disappointed voice, "I saved the best for last..."

Rei attempted to look away from Usa's pathetic gaze but in the end...

"Fine."

"Youngest member!" Usa crowed, "Zoe Kipling Greene, lead singer - height: five-eight, green eyes, blond hair - twenty-two years old - most beautiful man on the planet."

She finished with a big impromptu drum solo on the roof of the car.

"Well," Rei said. Everyone else simply stared as though they were coming out of comas.

"Can some _else_ please tell me about their music?" She begged.

"_Four Kings _is a rock band," Ami broke in quickly, "They started to become popular about three years ago. Initially they did a mixture of folk and rock; Everest and Starre write most of their songs. They signed M sometime last year while they toured Japan - I think because their lead singer, Greene, is rumored to be rather...unreliable."

"I'll say," Mako snorted, "He's a looker, but you know there's got to be something going on underneath that pretty face."

"How dare you insult my Zoe-chan!" Usa gasped.

"Not that the others are saints," Mako continued, "Jude is supposedly a 'nice' guy, but I've heard that Nolan is a real womanizer - apparently he goes through girls like mice through cheese."

"That's a very gratifying similie," Rei muttered.

"And M never speaks to anyone," Mako went on, "He won't even sign autographs. I heard that one time this kid wanted to shake his hand and M just tipped the ashes off his cigarette into the kid's hand."

"I'm sure that's not true-" Ami began.

"And Jude is supposedly gay. " Usa broke in, "He's the only one who's never had a girlfriend - they say he hates women."

"Thank you," Rei murmured. Ami threw her a sympathetic glance. Mina, from her position by the door, began to snore.

"Hey, wait a minute," Mako spoke up. They all turned to her.

"You said Zoe's middle name is 'Kipling'?"

"That's right!" Usa answered, proudly.

"Well, isn't that the first name of their manager?" Mako went on, "Kipling Gray - right?"

Their was a loud snorting noise and Mina suddely woke up.

"What did you say?" She asked in a slurred voice.

"We're talking about _Four Kings_," Ami explained.

"Oh, them again," Mina said, making a dismissive gesture and settling back into the corner of the car.

"Yeah, that is strange, Mako," Usa agreed, "I never noticed it before but they have the same name. What a weird coincidence."

"It's not a very common name," Ami began, thoughtfully, "So it may not be a coincidence."

"What are the odds?" Mako pronounced, shrugging. She had already lost interest in the topic and was humming something to herself.

"You're talking about Zoe Greene and Kipling Gray?" Mina asked suddenly. Her voice was quiet, and a little wary.

"Yes, it's odd that they share a name, isn't it?" Ami asked.

"It's not that odd," Mina said. She looked out the window at the billboards on the streets.

"After all," she added, "It was their father's name."

* * *

Nolan and Jude shuffled away from the backstage entrance toward their waiting car.

"I think it went well tonight," Nolan commented, fingering his rabbit's foot.

"Yeah, I guess."

Nolan glanced down at his companion.

"What's wrong?"

Jude shook his head.

"I don't know. The atmosphere was all wrong tonight."

"Well," Nolan snorted, "I suppose the wonderful brothers' act didn't add to the cheerfulness."

"It's not just them," Jude replied, climbing into the car. He waited for Nolan to get in beside him before he resumed.

"Ever since we started this thing, Kip and Zoe have been at each others throats - well," he corrected, "Zoe has been at Kip's throat, and Kip has calmly beaten him down again. But it seems like everything is getting worse. Zoe was a jerk before, but he's really turning into an ass."

Nolan humphed to himself and leaned back to look through the moon roof at the stars whirring by above them.

"He was a sweet kid once," he said, quietly, "I don't know what happened to make him this way."

"Well, and then there's M, of course," Jude went on, pursuing his own thoughts, "I mean, he's been with us for a year and we don't know anything about him. The guy's manageable when Kip's around but under normal conditions he's just a - a-"

"An ass?" Nolan suggested.

"Yes," Jude sighed. They were both silent for a moment.

"Maybe it's something about lead singers," Nolan theorized.

Jude gave him a look.

"Well, I don't see what we can do about it," Nolan went on, thoughtfully, "I could beat the crap out of both of them, or we could quit the band. I'm really not enthusiastic about either of those two choices. Except maybe the first one."

Jude laughed.

"Yeah, we can't quit. I guess we'll just have to ride it until it's over."

"Well, I can't say it's been a particularly enjoyable ride," Nolan commented, sourly.

"Sucess not quite what you'd hoped for?"

"Not quite."

They were silent, brooding for a few minutes.

"At least the next thing we're doing is the benefit," Nolan said, almost cheerfully.

"Oh, yeah," Jude replied, "That ought to be ok. Zoe can't pull any of his usual stunts there - the security will be too high."

"And we get to play with _Ai No Soldier_," Nolan went on, "I've always wanted to meet them."

Jude was suddenly very still.

"_Ai No Soldier?" _he asked in a strange voice.

"Yeah, the girl band from Japan."

"The entire band of _Ai No Soldier_?"

"Well," Nolan laughed, "Unless some of them fell off the boat on the way over here."

Jude froze.

"Are you alright?"

Nolan squinted at his friend in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He started to laugh to himself.

Nolan notified the driver to drop them off at the nearest bar.

"Why are you laughing like a maniac?"

"I'm not," Jude denied and promptly composed himself.

"Ok," Nolan said. He kept an eye on Jude's face.

"I've heard they're really beautiful in person," Nolan commented, after a moment.

"Yeah," Jude said, "Well, don't get your hopes up too high, you know what will happen."

"A guy can dream, right?" Nolan let out a frustrated sigh.

"Someday," he said, suddenly pointing his finger in the air, "Someday I am going to meet the most beautiful girl in the world - and she's going to -"

"Dump you like all of the others did," Jude finished.

Nolan let out a depressed sigh of long suffering.

"You don't need the most beautiful girl, Nole; you need the toughest."

"What do you mean by that?" Nolan demanded.

"A girl who can put up with the crowd of women around you and the devious methods they use to cut their own competition - she'd have to be a superhero."

"Laugh all you want," Nolan replied, sourly, "We'll see who laughs last."

"Besides," he continued, "At least I try. Even if I fail, I still go for it. You, on the other hand -"

"Hey," Jude threw his hands up, "I just haven't met anyone I'm interested in enough to make an effort."

"Uh-huh."

"Or maybe," Nolan replied, "Maybe it's because you're in love with a dream. And you prefer fantasy to reality."

"Speak for yourself!"

"Maybe," he continued, ignoring Jude completely, "it's because this fantasy woman keeps you from facing your deepest fears of rejection and insecurity."

"Well, thank you Freud."

"They say the truth hurts."

"It's about to hurt a lot more if you don't shut up."

Nolan chuckled and leaned back, closing his eyes.

"All I'm saying is," he said, "You'd better find a real girlfriend soon, before..."

Against his better judgement Jude took the bait.

"Before what?"

"Before everyone thinks you're gay."

Nolan let out a loud omph as Jude's fist connected with his shoulder.

* * *

"What happened to your face?"

Kip was standing in the dressing room of the West Coast Paradise Palace and Auditorium. In front of him, watching his reflection in the mirror, was Zoe - applying make-up to the two day-old scratch that was almost covered by a large purple bruise just under his left eye.

"Over-enthusiastic fan," the younger man replied.

Kip grunted but let the topic go.

"So, here is the itinerary, gentlemen," he said, flipping open his notebook and unconsciously adopting the attitude of an officer about to give a speeding ticket.

"In five minutes we will be meeting with the members of _Ai No Soldier_ for a short tea and publicity shoot - and then the ladies will perform first. We pick up after intermission."

"Ladies first?" Nolan asked, plucking his guitar.

"Indeed," Kip answered, "And everyone needs to be on his best behavior, please."

He caught M's eye but the other man, his eyes hidden by his shaggy black hair, merely shrugged.

"And we'll change out of these suits before we perform, right?" Nolan asked.

"Yes, though the clothes they've got for you to play in are almost the same as the tuxes you're wearing right now. This is a formal event, after all."

Jude heard Nolan groan and tried to stifle a smile.

"Remember, these aren't your average teenage girl band members, and they are not fans. You can not afford to offend them - at least, not when anyone can see it."

"No problem," Zoe exclaimed, smiling cockily and leaning back in his chair.

"Nolie will knock them dead with one smile, won't you?"

Nolan chuckled, but it sounded a bit forced.

"What about you?" he asked, "They'll probably forget all about me when they see that baby face of yours."

Zoe stopped rocking and sprang out of his chair.

"Well, that goes without saying," he admitted, cheerfully, "So, may the best man win."

"I'm serious," Kip frowned, "I mean what I say about these ladies. If I hear even one iota of a rumor -"

"Yeah, yeah," Zoe waved his frown away, "Don't worry. It'll give you wrinkles to go with that hair."

Kip smiled tightly and watched Zoe put the finishing touches to his curly hair as he floated out of the room.

"Don't worry, chief," Jude murmured as he passed Kip, "We'll keep him in line. Like always."

He walked out in a hurry, almost as if he was extremely anxious to get the party underway.

"Yeah," Nolan added, "I hope." He followed Jude out the door.

Kip waited patiently while M finished polishing his sun glasses. His jet black hair hung thick over his blue eyes and his tall figure, taller than Jude or Zoe, straightened gracefully.

He walked past Kip in his usual silence, but suddenly stopped and turned around to face the other man.

"There's no need for you to worry about them, you know," he said, unexpectedly.

Kip blinked. Since he had signed the taciturn Japanese singer a year ago, he couldn't remember holding a conversation with the young man that lasted more than three words between them. Was this M finally opening up to him?

"I know these women," M added, slipping his glasses on and hiding his already mysterious expression.

"They can handle these guys - even Greene."

Kip nodded and cleared his throat to cover his surprise.

"Well, that's good to know. I'm glad you won't have any problems."

"I'm not worried," M said, and did something Kip could never remember having seen him do before: he smiled.

"Well," he added, thoughtfully, "See you, chief."

Without saying anything else, and almost as if he himself was surprised and embarrassed by what he'd just said, M turned on his heel and strode out the door - leaving a very confused Kip in his wake.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

_I saw her today at the reception..._

Jude grinned to himself as the familiar song played through the velvet and gold lined hallway of the hotel's entrance.

"The tea is this way, Mr. Everest." A waiter informed him, politely.

"Thanks," he nodded.

He turned on his heel and entered the grand tea hall - it was already lavish but even more decorations had been added to it in keeping with the benefit's style. As he made his way into the hall he scanned the room for Zoe.

"Hey, where's the Drama Queen?"

He turned to find Nolan by his shoulder, smiling at the people greeting him - mostly women.

"Dunno," Jude murmured, "He seems to have somehow disappeared."

"Crap," Nolan muttered, "Hi, there - long time no see, how are you -"

Nolan went to greet the somewhat pushy middle aged wife of a recording director who never seemed to know when she'd had enough mint juleps in one night. Pushing her red hair out of her face, she smiled at him coquettishly and Jude watched in awe as Nolan smiled back in his usual charming way - the man didn't even flinch when she rested her long, curved red nails against his arm.

He continued his search for Zoe, and finally found him near the the food table, standing behind a four foot tall ice sculpture of a peacock.

"Why a peacock?" He asked himself.

"What did you say?" Zoe asked, tipping an already full glass at him.

"Nothing, say - what are you doing over here by yourself?"

"I'm enjoying the art," Zoe said, motioning to the ice sculpture; his eyes roamed the room in a shifty manner.

"You look like you're hiding," Jude commented.

Zoe let out a long laugh which only confirmed Jude's suspicions.

"Who is it this time?" He asked, wearily.

Zoe's face became serious and he dragged Jude behind the sculpture.

"See that dragon lady with the flaming red hair?" He hissed.

Jude looked down Zoe's arm and spotted the woman who had been so intent on Nolan.

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Well, I ran into her outside a bar two days ago and she made a present of this."

He pointed at his bruised cheek.

Jude whistled low to keep himself from laughing.

"I can see why you're hiding then," he murmured.

He patted the other man on the back and smiled.

"Good luck," he said, cheerfully, and left Zoe standing behind the scultpure looking both shocked and pathetically abandoned.

M had just entered, with Kip not far behind him. Jude watched as M nodded to a few people and then made his way to the back left corner where he ordered a drink from the bar and sipped it in silence.

_A glass of wine in her hand..._

The second verse was playing, and caught Jude's ear as he looked toward the door to find Kip speaking with a tall woman, dressed better than any woman Jude had ever seen - her whole posture bespoke a refined elegance.

Then the music stopped briefly, and the lights dimmed momentarily - or perhaps Jude only imagined that they did. Everyone in the room halted their conversations for only a second, but the moment lasted much longer for him.

A tall blond in a shimmering white evening gown was walking into the room, followed by two other women dressed in sea-green and scarlet. It was the woman in scarlet who drew Jude's complete attention.

"That's her," he whispered, and his legs froze.

_You can't always get what you want..._

The song whined on, but Jude didn't hear it. He was too absorbed in looking at Rei Hino. Ever since he'd caught her act in a Jazz club in Japan, he'd been absolutely fascinated by her. She seemed, on the stage, to be a cool, refined, delicate and utterly unapproachable woman - an ideal. He hadn't gotten up the courage to get her autograph yet, but he'd sent her a dozen roses for every opening - of course he'd always made sure there was no name on the card.

"She probably thinks I'm a stalker," he murmured. (If she thinks of me at all...) his mind added as she looked around the room. He held his breath when she looked his way, but she merely stared through him as if he were air.

"So that's the one."

He felt an arm around his shoulders and looked to the side to see Nolan sipping a whiskey and looking at the just entering figures of _Ai No Soldier_.

"Huh?"

"Your dream girl, is it the one in the red dress?"

Jude could only nod.

"Hm," Nolan sipped, "She's pretty."

Jude made a coughing sound which was meant to agree.

"Are you going to talk to her?" the other man asked.

Jude froze again.

"Oh, come on!" Nolan nearly shouted, and Jude felt the sudden urge to strangle his best friend with his own tie.

"You can't be serious, you're not even going to talk to her?"

Nolan put his glass on a nearby table and turned to grab the shorter man by the shoulders.

"Listen to me, Everest," he commanded, his dark eyes set and determined, "Either you go over there and introduce yourself to her, or I will."

Jude's nervous blue eyes widened at the thought of this pheremone-afflicted man near his idol. He straightened his shoulders.

"I can do that," he said, resolutely, "I just didn't want to bother her."

Nolan gave him a withering look, then neatly spun him around and pushed him forward.

Jude catapulted toward the waiting women and nearly tripped over an older man in the way. Recovering he attempted to walk smoothly over to Rei Hino, who was at present engaged in speaking to the tall woman in the green dress beside her.

"Uh, excuse me," he said, but then had to repeat himself. He held a breath as she turned her large, dark eyes his way. They didn't look exactly friendly, he noted.

"Hello," she said.

"I'm Jude Everest," he said, holding out a hand, and then awkwardly taking it back as he wondered if he should bow instead. She watched him complete this odd movement - no expression on her face.

"You're a member of _Four Kings_?" she asked, and he nodded.

"I'm Rei Hino," she added, holding out her hand and shaking his very delicately. She still had almost no expression.

"I know," he blurted, "I mean, I've seen you before...in magazines."

Rei's eyebrow went up.

"Ah, it's a really wonderful to be here, performing with you - all of you - I mean."

By this point Jude was wishing he could somehow go back in time and start over.

"Yes." she said. She didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about their conversation. Suddenly, Rei's eyes flashed with life for the first time.

"Usa, you pig!" she barked out, in a tone so unexpectedly harsh that Jude nearly toppled over backward.

He watched in utter shock as her China Doll features turned angrier. Without really leaving his side she managed to somehow pick up an empty cup (a plastic one) from a passing tray and chuck it with deadly accuracy at a blond woman in a pink dress behind him. The blond, he realized, had been attempting to get away with two pieces of cake and was now properly chastised.

Jude looked back at his idol. She stood in a very un-ladylike manner, looking more like an angry house-wife with her hands on her hips.

"Every damn time - there is no use bringing her anywhere," she grumbled, then looked back at him.

"Excuse me," she said, and made a swift bow, "It was nice to meet you."

With that she started walking after the blond with the cake.

"Hey, wait," he said, still a little stunned. She turned around a bit impatiently.

"I'm sorry to interrupt our conversation," she said, with only the barest hint of irony, "But I need to make sure my band-mate doesn't choke to death on the cake she's inhaling at the moment, so if you wouldn't mind..."

"But, I - uh - you're just going to walk away?" Jude wasn't really sure what he was saying anymore; the only thing he was sure of was the feeling that someone was behaving rudely. He wasn't sure who it was.

"I said I was sorry," she repeated, a bit testy by now.

"Oh, ok."

She stared at him for a moment, almost as though she couldn't figure out if he was tipsy or not. Evidently she decided against him and with an even smaller bow, she left.

Jude stood for a few moments, blinking. He'd had a very great shock to his system. From no where he felt a hand on his shoulder turn him around and march him back to the food tables, helping him to sit and handing him a drink.

"Go ahead," Nolan said, patting his shoulder.

Jude looked at his drink for a moment, as if trying to remember how to drink. Finally he took a long gulp.

"Feel better?"

Jude shook his head.

"I feel - I feel -" he began.

"Like your whole concept of reality has just been turned upside down and now everything you once assumed about life is completely wrong?" Nolan guessed.

"Something like that."

He took another drink.

"Well, that's women for you," Nolan sighed.

"But she isn't anything like she was on stage," Jude suddenly exclaimed. He felt the shock subsiding to be replaced by a sense of profound injury and ill-usage.

"Well, you didn't really think -" Nolan began, staring at his friend. Suddenly he burst into laughter.

"Good lord," he chuckled, "You did."

"What?" Jude asked, sourly.

"Of course she's nothing like she is on stage. She's a human being, Jude. What did you expect?"

Nolan shook his head still grinning.

"Well, I knew that," Jude lied, "But I still didn't expect her to yell like that. She sounded like my mom."

Nolan nearly choked on his drink.

"That was so rude!" the other man exclaimed suddenly, "I mean, who does that? Just walk off when someones talking to them - I mean."

Nolan shook his head sympathetically.

"She's arrogant and rude!" Jude decided, punctuating his judgement with a slap on the table.

"But you know something, Noles," he continued, thoughtfully.

Nolan looked at Jude in silence, still unable to speak because of the liquid in his wind pipe.

"She's very pretty when she's mad."

If Nolan had been drinking, he would have choked to death at this point. Instead he shook his head, slowly and very sadly.

* * *

Zoe was sitting out in the hall with his head between his hands.

It had been a horrible week and he was in absolutely no mood to sing tonight. His temple hurt from the woman who'd slapped him, his head hurt from the hangover he had from last night, and he knew he was annoying the piss out of everyone around him.

For the hundredth time, he considered going back in the room, walking up to Kip, and giving him the speech he'd rehearsed in his mind for the past year and half. He would tell Kip he was sorry, and that he understood everything had been his fault - and that he knew he wasn't wanted and was only making things hard for everyone else. And he would let them all know that he knew M was a better singer, and that he should be their lead. And after that...well, he thought he would probably attempt to disappear somehow. And then, perhaps some of the things in Kip's life would go right for a change - perhaps, since Mina was here tonight, Kip might even -

"Excuse me," said a small voice.

Zoe wasn't sure he had actually heard anything so he didn't look up.

"I beg your pardon," it went on, "I was just wondering..."

He lifted his head and saw a pair of small, well shaped, blue high heel shoes and the hem of a pale lilac evening gown in front of him. His gaze traveled upward slowly, taking in the slight shape and size of the person before him; the slender, delicate hands; the slightly broad yet diminutive shoulders; and the very slender neck. As he tilted his head the final centimeter he saw a pair of large, dark blue eyes looking down at him out of a pixie face.

"Can you help me?" she asked.

Zoe blinked. She was asking him for help? For Zoe, this was almost unheard of - no one ever asked him for anything. His first thought was that she might be a fan, but if she was he decided he wouldn't be as harsh with her as he usually was with fans. She seemed like a delicate sort of person - and very young.

He took a breath to tell her that he wasn't really in an autograph signing mood when she said:

"I'm trying to find the ladies room." She blushed prettily on the last part.

Zoe blinked again, all thoughts of autographs fleeing from his mind. He stood slowly and looked down at her, noticing that she was indeed built on small proportions - her head came to his shoulder.

"Ah," he said, clearing his throat, "I think it's that way."

He pointed down the hall to his left.

She smiled, shyly, and blushed even more - then turned and walked down the hallway. Zoe watched her go and felt, somehow, as if the better part of his frustration had disappeared.

"Probably because I helped her," he said to himself. It made him feel useful, even though it was such a small thing. He rather liked the feeling - especially since she was one of the first people he'd encountered since fame had struck who hadn't made a fuss of his being a star.

"Zoe," he heard Kip's voice.

He spotted his elder brother's head in the doorway of the tea room. His expression was usually unfathomable and always slightly pleasant - as though he wanted to leave a nice impression on people and hide his thoughts at the same time. But Zoe could detect a bit of strain around his brother's eyes.

"What is it?"

"You need to come meet the band, now. We're going to start in two minutes."

"Right," Zoe called and walked over to him. He caught Kip's look of surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Kip answered, "You just seem to be in a better mood."

"Oh, well. I'm looking forward to meeting the girls, of course," Zoe adopted a rakish manner.

Kip's eyes darkened again and he ushered the two of them over to the group of waiting women.

"Miss Meioh, I'd like you to meet our lead singer, Zoe." Kip introduced him to a tall, elegant woman.

"This is Setsuna Meioh, the manager for _Ai No Soldier."_

Zoe shook Setsuna's hand and noted, as she smiled at him, that there was something far too knowing in her eyes. It made him slightly uncomfortable in the manner of a mouse confronted by a cat.

"And this is Rei Hino, Mako Kino, Usa Tsukino - and of course," Setsuna's smile flashed even brighter, "You already know Mina Aino."

Mina stood before the two men quietly. Her eyes met Zoe's for a moment and she smiled - but it wasn't the smile he remembered. He thought he detected a hint of annoyance in her face. Then he watched as she looked at Kip for the first time.

There was a moment when her face didn't move, and then it seemed like a hundred things flashed across her face - and then she was friendly and charming, just like he remembered her. Just like she'd always been.

"I believe it's been a while, Mr. Gray, " she said, cheerfully. She held out her hand to Kip and he shook it very delicately.

"Yes, it has," he said. Zoe couldn't detect anything in Kip's face at all - no normal relaxed expressions, no strain - nothing but friendly interest.

"I'm very glad we'll be working together," Mina added.

Kip smiled.

"So am I."

"But, where's Ami?" Setsuna broke in, though Zoe knew she'd been watching Mina and Kip as intently as he had. From somewhere behind him he heard that quiet voice again.

"I'm here," she said, "I just had to leave for a moment."

Zoe turned to see the small young woman who'd asked him where the ladies' room was, standing behind him.

"Oh," she said, her eyes widened when she saw him and she blushed slightly.

"Thank you," she said.

He found himself feeling strangely hazy again.

"Oh, no problem. My pleasure." He smiled. He caught Kip looking at him in slight surprise. Then he caught Setsuna looking at him with down right amusement, and he decided that the sooner _Ai No Soldier_ performed and left, taking their creepy manager with them, the better.

"I've met Mr. Everest and Mr. Starre," Setsuna said, "But I don't think we've seen M. Is he here tonight?"

"Oh, yes," Kip answered, "He's just over -"

"Oh, my god!" the blond woman in the pink dress shouted. About half of the room turned to look her way.

"Uh, Usa, what are you-" Mina began.

"You jerk!" Usa yelled and promptly, and without provocation, upended her glass of wine in M's face as he approached the group from behind.

There was a moment of shocked silence as every eye in their half of the tea hall turned to look in horror at the tall, dark figure now drenched in wine.

"I can't believe you have the nerve to show up at a place like this," Usa was fuming, "After everything you put me through, and now I suppose you want - and ohmygod I'm so sorry, you're not...you...uh..."

She trailed off as M calmly removed his glasses and stared down at her with penetratingly cold blue eyes.

"You're not...my ex-fiance..." she finished in a very small voice.

M continued to stare at her, and everyone continued to stare at him. Slowly, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the wine off of his face and neck.

"I'm so sorry," Usa continued, "I had no idea, I would never have - you must be so angry - oh..." She was twisting her hands together in the shawl of her pink dress.

M reached out and plucked her shawl off of her shoulders.

"If you don't mind," he said in a terrifying tone of voice, "I think I'll just borrow this."

He then proceeded to use her very expensive shawl to wipe up the rest of the wine.

"Now wait just a minute," Usa began, her eyes beginning to become angry again, "I may have made a mistake but you are ruining that shawl."

"So?" Asked M, "You ruined my suit."

"But I didn't mean to!" She retorted, her eyes bulging at her now soaked shawl.

"It doesn't matter," he said, handing it back to her.

She stared at it for a moment.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter -" she began, when Mina and Rei finally pulled her away from M to the entrance of the room.

"Now, Usa, just calm down," Mina was saying in a soothing voice.

"Yeah, you're the one who attacked him in the first place." Rei added.

"I did not attack him!"

From the other side, Kip was attempting to placate M, who had finally lost his temper - though he wasn't making a scene like Usa.

"I really don't think she meant any harm," Kip murmured.

"I don't care," M began, "This is just the sort of immaturity -"

"Hey, there, buddy," Zoe said, "Let's just calm down - I mean we still have a show and -"

"Immaturity," M repeated, his blue eyes on Zoe now, "that I would have expected from him."

"Me?" Zoe asked, startled.

"Hey, what's going on over here?" a voice called out.

Nolan came bounding into view and was just in time to pull Zoe away from M.

"What do you mean by that?" Zoe demanded, "I wasn't the one who poured wine on you!"

"Who poured wine on who?" Nolan asked, intrigued.

"Whom." Someone said.

They all turned to find that Ami was still standing beside them.

"Uh, Miss Mizuno, I am terribly sorry," Kip began.

"Why are you apologizing to her?" M asked. Kip was beginning to lose his patience.

"That's alright," Ami explained, cheerfully, "Usa gets excited sometimes, and he does happen to look a lot like her former fiance."

"It's not any excuse to pour wine on people." M retorted.

Zoe suddenly, and for reasons he himself could not yet identify, snapped.

"Apologize to her," he demanded.

"No!" M retorted, "I'm not apologizing to a girl who threw wine at me."

"Not her," Zoe gritted his teeth, "I mean, Miss Mizuno."

Ami blinked in confusion and blushed.

"But I'm alright," she said.

"Duck." Nolan suggested and suited his actions to his words, putting a protective arm over Ami.

A piece of cake came flying from the entrance and landed on Jude, who had unfortunately missed everything thus far.

"What in the world -!?" he began.

"That's it!"

"I didn't mean to!" Usa cried, "It was an accident."

M stalked over to the group of girls who were wrestling the plate of cake away from Usa.

"You are completely unprofessional," he declared, "And I have no desire to play with you."

"Hey, now," a husky voice said, and M suddenly found himself confronted by a pair of glittering green eyes.

"She didn't mean to throw that cake on your friend," Mako said, cracking her knuckles - which was something she usually did without noticing. It made most people wince, but M was intractable.

"I think we all need to calm down." She said.

"I agree," M said, frigidly, "But I still refuse to play with her."

Usa looked furious and hurt at the same time.

"That's rude," Mako informed him, her eyes darkening, "That's just plain rude. You're the one who's acting like an amateur."

"Which is ironic," Mina chuckled, "Because it is Mamoru Chiba, after all."

The girls suddenly became very quiet and Usa dropped the plate to the floor.

"Mamoru Chiba!?" She gasped.

M lost all of his anger in one quick and sickening moment.

"So that's why you look so familiar." Setsuna said, her smile begining to grow. Mamoru suppressed the urge to gulp.

"But -" Mako stuttered, "But Mamoru Chiba's been missing for two years - he left the country."

"Apparently," Mina replied, smiling at Mamoru.

"The 'Prince' of Japan has been hiding out in an American rock band?" Rei asked, surprised.

"Well, no one would think to look for him there." Mina pointed out.

"Mamoru Chiba," Usa repeated, gazing at him, "I poured wine on Mamoru Chiba."

"Yes," he answered her, tersely, "And I'd like an apology."

"I'm sorry," she gulped, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you-"

"Yes, we've been through all that," he said. Since his anger had disappeared he now felt incredibly foolish.

"But, why did you run away?" Mako asked.

"What does she mean?" Kip's voice came from behind them. The four men had come to join the entourage and the rest of the guests were now spell bound by the celebrity squabble.

"I used to work in the entertainment industry in Japan," Mamoru said, his face suddenly rather tired, "But I quit. That's all."

"That's all!?" Mako gasped, "You were the biggest star in-"

"That's all." he repeated firmly, and the intensity of his eyes made her quiet.

"Well, for whatever reason," Mina said, brightly, "It's nice to see you again. There was a rumor that you had died in a skiing accident, but I'm glad to see it isn't true."

Nolan laughed at this.

"I think we'd better get ready to perform," Setsuna warned them, "We're on in ten, and you all have to change."

The women began to disperse, Usa still staring at Mamoru with large eyes while he tried to look cool and failed utterly. Kip clapped a hand on his back and leaned closer to him.

"You know," he said, "It's really not a big deal. You're here with us now, and that's really all that matters."

Mamoru again attempted to struggle with remaining aloof, but lost.

"Thanks," he said, and cleared his throat uncomfortably to hide the slight blush.

Kip suppressed a chuckle and patted him on the back one more time.

"Alright, you idiots," he said, "Let's see if the hotel will let us use their showers."

As they were walking out, there was a slight commotion and they turned to see the girls exiting into their dressing rooms. Mako was the last to go in and she looked back as the door closed to make sure there was no one behind her. Nolan caught her eye and smiled.

"Good luck," he called in a friendly tone.

She smiled back and nodded.

"That's bad luck, you know," Jude whispered.

"Is it?" Nolan asked, his tone suddenly worried. He took out his rabbits' foot and rubbed it three times.

"All gone," he said and held up the foot with a grin.

Jude rolled his eyes.

"Let's hope so." he said.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

Jude rubbed his head and looked glumly out of the reinforced glass wall. His lip was bleeding, one eye was swiftly becoming black, and there was an odd person of indeterminate gender staring at him from across the room in a manner that made him a little uneasy. Beside him, someone crossed her legs and made a low, muffled, yet unmistakably unhappy cough.

"Mr. Everest?" a voice asked.

He looked up quickly to see an approaching police officer. He stood up when motioned to and followed the man out of the room, giving one backward glance to the woman who'd been sitting beside him. She merely glared then went back to counting the blocks of the wall. Jude sighed and followed the policeman to another room with darker walls and far less people.

The officer motioned again for Jude to sit, which he did quite readily.

"Now, Mr. Everest," the policeman said, lacing his fingers together and pinning Jude with a sharp look.

"Why don't you tell me exactly what happened tonight?"

Jude stifled a groan, rubbed his aching head once more and drew a deep breath.

"I think," he said, "That it all started after we played 'Heavenly'..."

* * *

Ten hours earlier: Jude was sitting off stage, watching _Ai No Soldier_ performing their set. Nolan sat beside him with his signature cowboy hat already on his head and his rabbit's foot safely in his back pocket.

Jude watched as the funny girl who'd poured wine on M - or Mamoru - crashed away on the drums - blissfully unaware of anything else around her.

"We have very different playing styles," he murmured, and Nolan looked to see where he was looking.

"Yeah, she's really going at it. Looks like she's not even on the same planet as everyone else.."

"Odd. But it works, huh?"

Nolan nodded.

"What do you think about their lead guitarist?" Jude asked, after a moment. This was the last song and he was busily shaking his wrists and hands out, trying to get ready to perform.

"She's pretty."

"I meant her playing," Jude reminded him.

Nolan coughed, a bit embarrassed, and said, "She's excellent. I think she's self taught, from the looks of it."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"Are you ready to tear down the house, boys?!" Zoe called, excitedly.

Jude and Nolan nodded, though Nolan actually bothered to smile at Zoe's enthusiasm, regardless of whether it was real or fake.

"Let's get this show on the road," He said.

Jude picked up his Dobro and his drumsticks and waited for the applause for the women to die down. He had to hand it to them, they were very good. He'd been most surprised by Rei Hino, whom he'd only ever seen singing Jazz - that she could sing and play another genre was very impressive.

And very attractive, he added.

He passed her while he walked on stage and she walked off. She gave him the barest of nods and then a lovely cold shoulder.

He shrugged philosophically. Now that he knew she was a harridan it didn't seem to matter as much that she shunned him. The odd thing to him, of course, was that, far from distancing him, her stand offish behavior attracted him - especially now that he could think about her as a real person. He could get the better of her - he could wipe that holier-than-thou look off of her face. He could even embarrass her, if he wanted to. And he thought he just might like to try.

He was imagining ruining Rei's poise when Nolan gave him a look and a quirk of the eyebrows and he shifted his thinking back to music.

He sat down behind the drum set and started the count for their first song.

In the wings, Kip stood with his arms crossed across his chest, watching the band start up. Behind him a few members of the girl's band were standing to watch as well.

"They're not bad," he heard a throaty voice whisper close to his ear.

He looked down, not very far, to see Mako standing beside him.

"Zoe's as good as I thought he'd be," she added.

Kip wanted to laugh, but he kept it to himself and simply nodded his thanks on his brother's behalf. He had thought, from the bit of conversation he'd had with the women before the show, that one or two of them had a school girl crush on Zoe. But it seemed, at least from Mako's perspective, that that idol varnish was wearing thin. It probably had something to do with the fact that Mako had now realized she could look Zoe in the eye even without heels, and also that they had witnessed Zoe's slight temper tantrum in making Mamoru apologize to Ami.

"How the mighty have fallen," he murmured to himself.

"What did you say?" Mako whispered back.

He shook his head.

"What's after this one?" she asked. Nolan had just finished his own song.

"'Heavenly'," he replied, catching her face out of the corner of his eye. To his surprise she looked a bit disappointed.

"Oh." She said, and her eyes watched Nolan go back to his spot to Zoe's right as the intro for 'Heavenly' began.

"Is he going to-" she began, but was interrupted by a loud shout and the sound of something heavy being thrown on the floor.

The music stopped, and Kip and Mako stuck their heads out of the wings to see the source of the commotion.

Against all liklihood, there seemed to be a small but escalating fight going on in the second row of the packed auditorium - and because this was a formal affair, everyone else seemed to be simply staring at the unlikely sight. Suddenly a shoe flew out of nowhere and whistled toward Nolan's face.

"Look ou-" Mako began, but Nolan reached up and caught it easily. He looked at it in vague surprise and then back out into the audience, but the lights were far too blinding for anyone on stage to see the audience.

"What in the world is going on?" Rei demanded, walking up next to them.

"I dunno-" Mako answered, then gasped as another shoe came flying up on stage - this one was a woman's stiletto heel and it hit Zoe on the side of his head. He actually sat down from surprise, but Nolan and Jude were by his side in a moment.

There was now a general blot of chaos comprising of the third, second and first rows of the audience, and the security guards couldn't get through the mass of panicking and fighting people to get to the instigators who were still going at it in the center of their row.

"Well, this is a change," someone said. Kip looked quickly to the side to see the blond head of Mina Aino, staring out at the fighting audience with what could only be described as baffled and dismayed amusement.

"This has gone on long enough," Kip began.

"I quite a agree," Mina said and before he could stop her she jumped onto the stage and grabbed a microphone.

There was quite a lot of debris being thrown onto the stage at this point, and Nolan, Jude, Zoe and Mamoru were trying to get off without being hit by any of it.

Unfortunately, the moment Mina went on stage, someone threw a well aimed purse at the fleeing men and caught Mina instead - she promptly tumbled off the stage and into the fray.

Kip, not really thinking about what he was doing at this point, jumped onto the stage and into the mass of shoving, biting, kicking people. He felt a body beside him and saw that Mako had jumped too and was now engaged in fighting her way through the crowd to find Mina.

Back on stage, Nolan, Jude, Zoe and Mamoru saw this happen, and Nolan pushed Jude off the stage (and unfortunately, though completely unintentionally, into a light tree) while he dove into the crowd. Zoe saw his brother disappear and decided to join in, but Mamoru held him back and attempted to drag him off stage, kicking and screaming.

At this point, all was utter chaos.

Rei, Ami and Usa ran out of the wings and stopped in horror at the sight of thousands of people panicking and attempting to struggle over each other to get away from where-ever the fight was - which seemed to be everywhere.

There was a groan behind them, and they turned to see that Jude was lying on the ground under a fallen light tree and several busted instruments. Picking their way through the glass, the three women attempted to help him out of the mess without damaging him any further. He sat up woozily and put his arms around Ami and Usa's shoulders.

"We should get you out of here," Ami said, "You have quite a bad cut on your head."

"Right," he said, or thought he said. The room was spinning at this point.

They began to shuffle off stage but Setsuna blocked their path.

"You can't take him off," she exclaimed, "The security system has been triggered and all the backstage doors are locked."

"What about the emergency exits!?" Ami asked in shock.

"They're locked as well, I think someone set off the burglar alarm rather than the emergency -" Setsuna didn't finish, because at that moment five people were pushed up on the stage from the milling and seeting crowd below.

One of them was Kip, who was holding Mina over his shoulder - the other three were people none of them knew.

"Get out!" Kip bellowed, running to join them off stage with a rather battered but very angry Mina pounding him on the back.

"Put me down!" she hollered.

"As soon as we're out of here," he winced as she gave him a solid knee in the chest.

"Now!" she demanded.

The others stared at them - they had never seen Mina so angry before.

"It's not your job, is it!?" she cried. Everyone looked very puzzled by this remark - except for Setsuna and Kip, who grimaced.

"No," he agreed, but didn't put her down.

"We can't get out through the doors, they're all locked," Rei explained to him. His face grew grimmer.

"Then how-"

"What are you doing!?" Usa demanded.

Mamoru had Jude by the arm and Usa refused to let go - Zoe watched them in confusion.

"Give him to me, I'm stronger than you are -" Mamoru began.

"I was helping him," Usa retorted, "And I was doing just fine. I don't care if you are Mamoru Chiba!"

"Just let us carry him," Mamoru glowered, "You are being ridiculous."

"I am not-"

"Guys?" Jude mumbled, beginning to feel sick. His head hurt and their shouting seemed to reverberate through it.

"Let go!" Usa yelled.

"You let-"

"Guys!" Zoe yelped, and Jude slumped the ground to be caught by Rei, who, strong though she was, couldn't hold his dead weight indefinitely and also slumped with him until she was sitting on the ground with his body lying over her lap.

Zoe and Ami bent down to help her.

Mina was still hitting Kip on the back, but her swings were growing a little less violent and seemed more for the spirit of the argument now.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Kip asked, wearily. The shouts of the mob behind them were growing louder.

"I think I have an idea," Ami volunteered.

* * *

Mako was actually starting to enjoy herself.

When she'd first decided to move to Tokyo, almost three years ago, she'd done it mainly because she was sick of fighting. When she'd run away from home three years before that, she'd taken up fighting for money - she was good at it, and she usually enjoyed it. But the fights were becoming worse - the stakes were higher, the competition was uglier - and the men who put her up to these things were becoming less trustworthy.

It was after she'd woken up from a particularly nasty left hook to find herself in an unfamiliar hotel room with a very creepy ex-manager removing her boots that she'd decided beating the crap out of him would be her last fight. And it had been, for six years.

But it seemed, as she swung another round house punch at a large man trying to climb over a smaller woman to get out of the mob, that her body hadn't forgotten a single thing.

"Mina!" she called, in between delivering a kick to the side of someones head. She heard her shirt tear and saw that one of her favorite flowers had been ripped off.

"That sucks," she muttered, and promptly knocked the man out who had grabbed onto it in an attempt to haul himself up.

"Mina! Where the hell are you!?"

She waded through a few more people.

"Quit shoving, you idiots!" she shouted, but no one payed much attention to her. They were all about as useless as panicked horses at this point.

She looked at her knuckles and saw that they were a bit ripped up. Her vanity smarted slightly - she'd taken a lot of pains to make them look presentable again - but it couldn't be helped.

Someone knocked into her from the side and she realized she'd finally found the source of the fighting. A large, red haired woman and an over-sized, dark haired man were attempting to throttle each other to death and it was hard to say who was winning. Mako didn't care, she had just about had enough.

"If Mina has one scratch on her because of you two morons," she shouted, punching her way through the crowd as though she was walking through a corn field, "I will personally make you wish you'd never been born."

The two people were oblivious.

"You brazen -" the man began and the woman clawed him.

"Shut up, you old -" she started, and he shoved her into Mako.

Mako grabbed the woman and flung her back at her husband.

She expected both of them to fall down, but they were stronger than she'd thought. They turned as one to look at her, their argument momentarily forgotten.

"You asses started this whole thing, I bet." Mako rolled up the sleeves of her jacket.

"Don't interfere!" the woman screamed and launched herself at Mako.

Mako side stepped and neatly planted an elbow in her back, effectively knocking her to the floor.

But she found herself on the floor the next instant when the husband, who had some boxing experience it would seem, backhanded her when she wasn't looking.

She hadn't had a hit like that in some time, and it took her a moment to recover. She was just pushing herself back up to her knees - her fists already tightening in anticipation when she heard a thump and saw the same man who had knocked her down, knocked down to the floor. He was out cold.

Before she could register this she felt an arm around her waist and she was suddenly hauled up and tucked under someones arm and against their side.

Mako was so surprised she couldn't even blink. No one in her nineteen and half years of life had ever, to her knowledge, picked her up in such a fashion - as easily as though she'd been a baby.

And now this same person who had her rolled up under his arm was making his way through the crowd, kicking people out of his way, strolling through the shoving, biting mob as though he were taking a walk in the proverbial park.

She craned her kneck to see who it was and spotted long brown hair and a cowboy hat. She felt something slide past her arm and reached out just in time to catch the odd object that fell out of his back pocket.

Opening her hand she peered down at a rabbit's foot.

* * *

"And that's what happened," Jude was saying, "Up until I hit the light with my face."

The police officer was busy making notes. He looked up at Jude with an inscrutable expression - then he nodded at the officer behind Jude. The man exited, then entered after only a few minutes with a woman behind him.

She took a seat beside Jude, crossed her legs and demurely folded her hands in her lap.

"So, Miss Hino," the officer said, "Mr. Everest states that he collapsed soon after the fight began. But you were with him for the rest of the night -"

Jude threw a startled look at Rei, who remained utterly unruffled, if slightly annoyed.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"Yes," she said with a small sigh, "I suppose so."

"He fell down," she said, with an unsympathetic glance at Jude, "And I caught him."

"You caught him?" The officer pursued, giving Rei's slender, pale arms a questioning glance.

She frowned.

"Yes."

"How?" the officer asked, before he could help it.

"With my lap, if you must know," Rei said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jude sat back in his chair and tried desperately to remember what had happened to him after he'd blacked out - which was, of course, a complete waste of time.

"And after that?" the officer went on.

Rei took a deep breath and began.

* * *

Almost ten hours earlier, Ami was attempting to wrap up Jude's head while he lay in Rei's lap. Rei, with the look of a persecuted martyr, held his head steady and smoothed his hair back so that Ami could properly bandage his forehead with the roll she taken from the backstage first aid kit.

"Poor guy," Ami murmured, "That's going to hurt quite a lot when he wakes up."

"Hmph." Was all Rei had to say on the matter.

Ami looked up at her in surprise, and for some reason, her placid gaze made Rei feel the slightest twinge of guilt.

"He's a moron for not looking after himself," she said.

Ami's small mouth pursed slightly and she frowned. Rei's twinge of guilt pulled a bit harder.

"I suppose so," was all Ami said, but it made Rei feel suddenly very ashamed.

"I didn't mean to be so harsh," she admitted, lowering her voice. She looked down at Jude's calm face and noticed for the first time that it was a very innocent looking face - very much like a little boy's face. His curly hair made him seem very young at the moment.

"Well, it's trying situation," Ami amended, helpfully. Rei sighed.

"Yes, but still..." she began. Kip interrupted her as the noises of the crowd grew even louder.

"Is he alright?"

Ami finished tying the bandage and nodded.

"Let's get out of here, then," he suggested. Ami nodded and Zoe and Mamoru bent down to pick Jude up off the floor.

"You said you think we can take the stage's lift down to the ground level -" Kip asked Ami, "Do you know where the lift is?"

She shook her head.

"But I believe it shouldn't be too hard to discover," she answered, "Most auditoriums and theaters are similarly built. Which means it should be -"

"I think it's here!" Zoe shouted, excitedly waving them over.

Kip hoisted Mina from his shoulder into his arms, which she didn't appreciate at all, and began to walk to Zoe.

"I can walk!" she fumed.

"I don't think so," he answered, "But if you insist."

He unexpectedly let her slip from his grasp into a standing position from which she promptly toppled over, having sprained her ankle when she fell off the stage.

"Alright, alright," she grumbled through gritted teeth, allowing him to pick her up again. She settled her face as far from his as possible and did her best to ignore him.

"I don't think this is it..." he said when he saw the trap door entrance.

"Really?" For a moment Zoe looked so disappointed that Kip was reminded of the old Zoe.

"Oh, well," his face returned to a jaunty smile, "Just have to find another way."

There was a loud bang and they all turned to see that the police had finally broken through the doors. They were pepper spraying some of the more aggressive and out-of-control patrons and trying desperately to calm the others. It looked like an an impossible situation that was about to get a lot worse. A sudden gun shot - probably a missfire - went off and the crowd broke into mass hysteria - half of the lower level of patrons were running and climbing onto the stage, trampling over each other to find a way out of the theatre - not knowing that all the doors were locked.

"Crap!" Zoe yelped as the herd decended upon them. Even the bands' body guards had disappeared at this point into the raging crowd.

"Run!" Mamoru ordered, suiting his actions to his words. He hefted Jude over his shoulder and ran for the back entrance, even though he knew it was locked. Zoe had disappeared at this point, as had Ami, Mina and Kip. Rei saw Usa run after Mamoru but something tripped her up and she fell.

Rei lost sight of her.

"Wait!" Rei yelled, trying to decide which way to go. The police were running after the mob, causing everyone to collide into each other - in the mess she only saw a blond head. She leaped for the person she thought was Usa, but who in fact turned out to be the prone figure of Jude. Seeing no escape she huddle over him protectively and closed her eyes.

* * *

"And that's when you guys arrested us." Rei finished.

The officer had long ago abandoned his note pad and pencil and was now gazing at Rei with a very world weary expression on his face.

"I see."

"Does this mean we can leave?" Jude asked. His expression was ludicrously hopeful.

The officer stood and turned to gaze down at them both.

"As far as I can tell you didn't actually start this fight - you're free to go tonight, but," he added, "you'll have to remain local in case you're needed for further questioning."

Jude let out a relieved sigh and turned to smile at Rei. She frowned back. He shrugged and stood, offering her his hand which she did not take.

They went back to get their things from the front and walked out together into the street. It was still dark outside, the street lamps still turned on.

Jude stretched and yawned.

"Well," he said, "I don't know about you but I've had enough excitement for one night."

"Yes." Rei answered. She pulled on her jacket and searched her pocket. After a moment she let out a frustrated sigh and kicked the pavement.

"You've got quite a temper, don't you?" Jude asked.

She glared up at him, as if daring him to comment further. Instead he smiled at her and asked:

"What's wrong?"

She looked at him for a moment, almost as though she was deliberating within herself as to whether she could find a suitable place to hide his body. Apparently, she decided she couldn't.

"I've lost the paper I had with the name of our hotel," she explained, quietly, "It must have fallen out of my pocket when the crowd pushed us to the floor."

Jude considered this for a moment.

"Do you remember the name?"

"If I did, do you think I'd be standing here?" she asked, tersely.

"Touche'," he said, quietly.

"Well, can you call one of your friends and ask?"

"My cell phone is gone too." She stated flatly.

So that was why she was so angry, he realized. He put his hands in his pockets.

"You can rent a hotel room for the night, do you want me to help you?"

She looked at him in surprise, but shook her head.

"No, I don't have any money on me," she began, then added, "I mean American money. Usually Setsuna takes care of all that."

"I see."

They stood in silence a little further until Rei sighed, tucked her purse securely in her pocket, and turned to walk down the street.

"Hey."

She turned back. Jude walked up to her slowly.

"If you want," he said, a bit shyly, "You can stay with me."

Rei stared at him - but before she could refuse he said:

"You wouldn't have to worry about anything, I'm not like that."

Oh, that's right; she recalled suddenly what Usa had said about him. So he didn't like women?

"Alright."

She didn't see the look on his face when she agreed; otherwise she might have re-evaluated her judgment about his preferences.

"Excellent, then come with me," he said and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Rei followed behind him.

"Thank you," he said when she caught up with him.

"For what?"

"For protecting me," he answered, looking down at her with an irony laced grin.

"I bet you didn't expect to be my knight in shining armor, eh, Miss Hino?"

He expected her to retort angrily and was surprised to see, when he looked down again, that she had a small smirk on her face.

"Not exactly."

They walked on in silence for a while.

"I wonder," Rei began at last. He looked at her expectantly.

"I wonder what happened to everyone else."

"Whatever happened," he answered, rubbing his neck, "It can't be worse than getting shoved face first into a six foot iron rod and three hot source fours."

_Wherever Nolan is right now_, he thought to himself, bitterly, _I hope he's getting exactly what he deserves._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Nolan gently set his burden on her feet - after effectively kicking and pushing his way through the scrambling crowd. He paused for a moment to get a good look at her - and kept looking. He had seen Mako Kino several times - both on television and now in person, but he had yet to realize how pretty she was - or how tall. He noted the way her trim figure was made even more appealing by the short and ragged jean skirt and slightly 'bad girl' style her wardrobe department normally dressed her in. He wondered if she was actually as tough as she was rumored to be. Judging from the way she had slugged the record director's wife a few moments ago, her tough persona was more than just a public facade.

Mako stood and brushed her hair out of her face. She looked up to see her rescuer and kept looking up. That he was taller than her by a good five inches was the first thing on the list in his favor. He had lost his cowboy hat somewhere in the crowd and his wavy brown hair hung past his shoulders - it gave him an air of careless confidence. Nolan had never been her favorite _Four Kings_ member - she didn't like playboys - but she could now see why so many women had thrown themselves at him.

When Nolan caught her startled glance, he smiled - this seemed to have a surprising effect on her.

Mako felt as though she'd just downed a screwdriver with extra vodka and it hadn't quite kicked in yet. She stood blinking at Nolan's smile until she realized she was holding something in her hand.

Awkwardly she held it out to Nolan and said:

"I think you dropped your foot."

Nolan gave her a strange look then his face lit up as he saw the rabbit's foot in her hand. He took it quickly and fingered it lovingly, placing it in his pocket with a satisfied sigh.

"Thank you," he said, giving her a double dose of smile, "I don't know what I'd do without this. You are my hero, Miss Kino."

Mako felt herself blushing, and her brain suddenly snapped on.

"Uh, did you just - did you just rescue me?" she asked, aghast.

He watched her face for a moment with an inscrutable expression. He seemed to be deciding something important. Finally he said:

"I think so."

"Although," he added, as she felt her heart beating faster for no apparent reason, "You did a fair amount of rescuing yourself."

She blushed, embarrassed at the compliment.

Gruffly she said, "That was a really nice punch you landed on that jerk. I don't think I could've done better."

"Well, thank you."

His calm, steady gaze on her face made her feel oddly and unusually and unaccountably feminine - which made her nervous. She promptly dismissed the feeling by holding up her hand to examine her knuckles. When he audibly gasped she looked up.

Jerking her hand toward him, Nolan hissed out slowly.

"We better do something about this right away," he murmured, and without dropping her hand or listening to her awkward protestations, he gently pulled her toward the backstage area where the trampled and scattered remains of the first aid kit lay. Riffling through them he found an unopened package of gauze and a bandage and taking these he crossed to the backstage door that led to the hallway.

The door was locked tightly, but he gave the bandages and gauze to Mako and took a step back before lifting his leg and slamming it into the door. The door groaned but didn't open. He kicked it again, and it gave a little more.

Mako watched him kick it one more time before she had the presence of mind to tuck the things in her jacket pocket and give the door a round-house kick. Together they managed to knock it off of its hinges and the lock broke.

Nolan spared a glance for her.

"You are really strong," he stated.

Mako shrugged. For the first time in her life she felt embarrassed by that comment. He saw the confusion in her face and took her hand again, causing her to look up sharply.

"That's not a bad thing," he said, and smiled slightly, almost amused. She blinked, but before she had time to speak he was pulling her down the deserted hallway toward the bathrooms.

Without fanfare he slammed open the door of the men's room and pulled her in with him to the sink.

"You should probably wash your hands," he said, calmly, turning on the faucet and checking the water's temperature as though he was about to give a child a bath.

"In here!?" Mako choked.

"Why not?" he asked, looking up quickly, "Everyone else is still in the arena."

"Come on," he laughed, and drew her hands toward the sink, dipping them slowly under the running water and lightly rubbing them.

The water did feel good on her bruised and torn knuckles - but Mako didn't really have time to notice this as the sensation of Nolan's hands on hers, and the very situation of Nolan taking care of her began to hammer away in her mind.

"You - ah - you really don't have to do all this," she began, "I mean, I'm used to taking care of myself."

Nolan didn't look up from washing her hands. Instead he switched off the faucet and led her to the marble counter; leaving the door open he helped her sit on the counter top by lifting her under her arms as though she was a little girl. He then stood in front of her to wrap her hands. At this point Mako was speechless.

"Well," he said, after a moment - during which Mako simply stared at his large hands wrapping her smaller ones -, "That may be, but I am the oldest, so that means you have to indulge me."

"Oh," she answered. She found herself smiling because she couldn't remember the last time someone had treated her like a child - if they ever had. The smile made her embarrassed so she hid it with a cough.

"Uh -" she said, "So, what are you planning on doing after you finish that?"

Nolan peeped at her from under his bangs.

"Well, I'm not sure," he said, stepping away slowly and pulling her up with him.

"Are you busy tonight?"

Mako was staring at her bandaged hands and so she thought she had misheard him.

"I used to box," she explained, "I thought maybe...you uh...wait, did you ask me if I was busy tonight?"

Nolan watched her surprised expression and slowly relaxed into a grin.

"Yes," he replied, "Since our concert was so rudely interrupted by my recording director and his wife, I thought the least I could do was buy you a drink."

"Really!?" she gasped, "I mean, I'm only nine-uh-twenty - I can't drink here - uh, but..."

Nolan tried to keep a straight face as he watched the varying expressions of embarrassment, excitement and self-possession struggle across her face.

"I mean," she let out a tough laugh and what she hoped was a nonchalant pose, "Are you asking me on a date?"

She'd asked it as a joke, trying desperately to act cool and mature. Nolan gazed at her in an amused, considering way and then replied:

"Yes."

Mako almost face-vaulted to the floor, but remembered to remain poised just in time.

"Really? Uh, I mean - that's cool. Yeah, why not? I've got nothing better to do, right?"

She tried to hide the hopeful glint in her eye as Nolan extended his arm to escort her toward the door. She needn't have bothered however - Nolan had already made his decision. Since he'd seen her standing there holding his precious rabbit's foot in her bleeding hand, he'd decided; for better or for worse. He was now only too eager to slide her arm through his and maneuver them out of the bathroom gracefully and quickly, and he did not relinquish her arm until they were outside the hotel, busily engaged in hailing a taxi.

* * *

Kip tried to stretch his legs a bit more, but they were too long to fit comfortably in the service elevator. Beside him, Mina shifted her leg then let out a muffled groan.

"I wish you'd let me see that," he said for the fifth time.

Mina didn't answer him. She merely continued to rub her ankle gently.

He let out an exasperated sigh and pulled his suit jacket off, removing his tie. He took a out a pocket knife and neatly ripped both of the sleeves of his jacket off at the seam, then replaced the knife.

"Come on, Mina," he said, "Just let me help you."

Mina sat quietly for a moment, then very slowly she edged her swollen ankle toward him - still without looking at him.

He took it gently and felt it to see if it was simply a sprain as he'd thought. He heard her hiss as he began to wrap her leg with his coat sleeves, using his tie to keep the homemade bandage in place.

"There now," he said, when he was finished, "All done."

She nodded to express her thanks, but still said nothing.

He leaned his head back against the cool metal of the elevator and let out a long breath. They'd been lucky that the door had opened when it did - or rather that he had been able to force it open. Having been breached, the tiny elevator system was now in lock down, so they couldn't get out until the chaos outside had been dispersed.

He closed his eyes, remembering suddenly the red haired woman and the dark haired man he'd seen in the middle of the fight. She was the wife of the recording director - the one who had a thing for Nolan - and the one who inexplicably hated Zoe. It was only because Nolan went out of his way to be nice to her that she'd convinced her husband to sign their band in the first place. Kip hated that the business worked that way, but after three years he'd found no better alternative. He hated the job - he admitted it to himself - he couldn't stand it most days, but it didn't matter.

Why had the two of them gotten into an argument? He wondered. He recalled the shoe that had been thrown at Nolan. It was a man's shoe, now that he remembered it, large and black. The director's shoe? He was beginning to understand the situation. Of course it had been thrown at Nolan, by the jealous director. He really couldn't blame the man, with a wife like that; but he still felt sorry for Nolan.

"So, how have you been?"

He blinked. Mina was still not looking at him, but she was playing with the hem of her skirt. For the concert she'd changed into a short skirt and tights, and a bright orange top - very eye catching - but the worse for wear at this point. He remembered that gesture of hers - she used to do it whenever she felt -

"Pretty good," he replied, "I've been doing pretty good. And you?"

"I've been...good too."

"You've been really successful," he continued, rolling up his sleeves. The elevator was a bit warm and the space was very cramped, and they were both tired.

"Yeah, I guess so," she replied, "I didn't think the jump from acting to singing would be that easy."

"But you can do anything," he said, quietly, "I never doubted you'd be a success."

Mina said nothing for a long time. He shifted again to stretch out his other leg.

"I wasn't as enthusiastic about switching jobs," he admitted, trying to maintain a pleasant chat, "This is much harder than being in the force."

He chuckled and was glad to hear her echo his laugh, albeit very softly.

"Yeah, well, I'd have thought it would have been the other way around," she said at last. Her voice sounded scratchy.

"Why is that?"

"Because, you always complained about how much trouble I gave you," she said, her hair hiding her face as she turned toward him.

"Well..." he stopped. He couldn't think of anything to say.

"You were never any trouble," he murmured at last.

"That's good to know," she answered, and smiled, "I didn't want to be a burden to you. I'm glad for that."

"Mina, I-"

Kip licked his lips, but couldn't think of how to say or much less begin to say, what he had been meaning to talk to her about for the last four years.

"Mina, I think-"

There was a loud pounding on the door of the elevator and a muffled voice called out.

"We're in here!" Kip called back. He was so busy in trying to help the firemen get the door open than he missed Mina's mingled look of curiosity and disappointment.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me!?" Usa wailed.

Five minutes earlier, Mamoru had hauled her into his arms, kicked through the glass of the window on the second floor of the catwalk, and thrust her out of it and onto the fire escape.

After a harrowing half hour of being forced to climb down the ladder of the escape (during which Mamoru had ruthlessly ordered her to climb faster despite her obvious fear) she was now sitting on her butt in the middle of a crowd of reporters.

Her skirt was torn, her hair was in disarray and she had lost one of her drumsticks. Mamoru was standing calmly beside her, coat unmarred, hair unruffled and sunglasses on his face (even though it was well into the night).

"Excuse me - Miss Tsukino -" the reporters cried over one another - vying for Mamoru and Usa's attention. Several pictures of their stage-worthy escape had already been taken.

"So are you two together?" One obnoxious woman asked Usa.

Usa blinked stupidly in the flash of the camera.

"Me and who?"

"She means us, dumpling head," Mamoru hissed in her ear as he bent over to help her stand. She shook off his hand and wobbled into the wall.

"Me and this jerk!?" she cried out, "Don't make me laugh!"

"Careful," he growled, grabbing her arm to steady her as she bounced back from the wall, "They'll think you've been drinking. And you're underage here."

"I've never touched alcohol," Usa informed him primly, again throwing off his hand - or attempting to. He had a vice like grip that she couldn't shake off.

"We need to get out of here," he murmured under the continued yells of the reporters, "I think we should head for the side-street."

This time Usa planted her feet on the sidewalk and refused to budge despite his insistent tugging.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, you abusive animal!" she shouted, much to the delight of the reporters and camera-men.

"Would you please -" Mamoru began, giving her a very dangerous look underneath the glasses.

"Uh-uh," she shook her head, "No way. You go your way and I'll go mine, pretty boy."

With that she spun on her heel to find that everyway she turned she was confronted by reporters. Mamoru gave an exasperated sigh that almost had a chuckle in it. He reached out and grabbed her arm to pull her in the right direction and she promptly pulled her last drumstick from her pocket and smacked his hand hard.

"That hurt!" he yelped.

"Well, I hope so!" she crowed, "And if you don't leave me alone I will tell all these people that you are really M-"

Mamrou's eyes had a glint of revenge in them that Usa would have been wise to spot - unfortunately she was too busy proclaiming. She was, therefore, caught completely off-guard when Mamoru grabbed her and planted a straight-forward kiss on her lips.

The reporters nearly died of joy - the camera men couldn't take pictures fast enough.

Mamoru broke the kiss after a moment and, taking advantage of Usa's absolute shock and bewilderment, he pulled her through the crowd and dragged her down the side street. Nearly throwing himself in front of a cab, he jerked open the door, shoved Usa in without further ado, and dove in himself - slamming the door just as the media crowd caught up with them.

"Laguna Hotel." He snapped. The driver, catching his harried expression, decided to suppress his former desire for an autograph and got the hell out of Dodge.

* * *

"So this is your place?" Rei asked, having entered the dimly lit hotel room on the tenth floor of the Royal Laguna Hotel. The short walk from the Police station to the hotel had calmed her down considerably. The same could be said for Jude. They were both too tired at this point to waste energy on being angry or snippy with each other.

"Yes, this is home...for now, anyway."

Jude was busy turning on all the lights and making his way through the vast living room. The large room contained several sofas, a fainting couch by the terrace entrance, three hand-crafted rugs, a chandelier, and a massive entertainment system surrounded by bookshelves filled with Reader's Digest.

Rei walked through it slowly, clutching her coat to her chest.

"It's very big," she said at last, "As big as the rooms they've given us for the tour here."

"Yeah, it's big," he answered from the kitchen, "But it's lonely."

"You don't have a...ah...anyone?" she asked, blushing at her own boldness.

"Nope, just me. I've got Nolan, but he's got his own life. Can't expect him to hang out with me every waking moment."

"No, I suppose not." she murmured.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked, emerging from the kitchen with two crystal glasses full of water.

Rei reached out for the water and he took her coat, hanging it by the door.

"Sit down," he said, smiling at her, "You must be tired."

"Yes."

Rei sat slowly on the leather sofa and placed her glass on the marble coaster of the end-table.

"So," she said after a moment, "Thank you for letting me stay with you tonight."

"No problem," he replied, taking a sip from his glass, "Actually I'm really honored."

Rei gave him a startled look and he chuckled quietly into his glass.

"I'm one of your biggest fans, Miss Hino." he explained, "I caught one of your performances in a Jazz club while we were touring in Tokyo and I was absolutely blown away. You're very talented."

Rei blushed in spite of herself.

"Thank you," she said, rather stiffly. Jude noticed the stiffness and smiled to himself.

"Well, now that you know my secret," he said, playfully, "You should tell me something about yourself. Were you born in Tokyo?"

"No," she replied, settling a little more easily into the sofa, "I was born in China. My family moved to Japan when I was a year old."

"Really?" Jude looked very interested.

"Yes, my father is a businessman and some of my mother's family is originally from China. They were there for a short time on business, which is why I was born there. But I'm a Japanese citizen, of course."

"What kind of business does your father do?"

It might have been his imagination, but Jude thought she frowned slightly.

"He's the president of a publishing company, and a politician."

"A busy man." Jude nodded, "What about your mother?"

"My mother died when I was four," she replied, quietly.

"I'm sorry," he began.

"No, don't be," she said, "It's quite alright."

The silence stretched out awkwardly between them.

"What about you?" Rei asked, at last.

"What are your parents like?"

"Oh, let's see. They're pretty normal," Jude laughed, "My mother is a housewife. My father owns an automobile business. No siblings - you?"

"What? Oh, no, I don't have any siblings," she replied.

"Oh? That's too bad."

"But I did have a -" she stopped, suddenly realizing that in her exhausted state she was rambling too much to a stranger.

"You had a what?" he asked, curiously.

"A- I had a cousin," she answered, shortly.

"_Had_ a cousin?" he pursued.

"Have a cousin," she corrected, exasperated, "He's a few years older than me."

"You don't sound very happy about that."

"What?" she spluttered, "Don't be ridiculous. Why would I care how old he is?"

"I don't know," Jude answered, unperturbed and secretly enjoying making her piqued, "You're the one who talked about him as if he was dead."

"I didn't -" she began, then stopped. After a short sigh she resumed:

"We aren't on very good terms, if you must know."

"Why not?" he asked.

She tried staring him down icily but her stare wasn't proof against his innocent blue eyes.

"Because," she said, her teeth clenched, "Though it isn't any of your business, we were once...we...there was...we had an understanding."

He stared at her for a moment before shouting:

"You were _engaged_!?"

"Yes, what's wrong with that?!" she retorted.

Jude was lucky that she didn't see his laughter behind his glass.

"Nothing," he replied, carefully, "So why did you break it off?"

"That is really none of your business," she answered.

He shrugged.

"True. Just curious. But you don't have to tell me. I can see it must have been very painful so -"

"It wasn't anything of the kind," she broke in, frustrated, "We simply didn't suit each other."

"Oh," Jude nodded, calmly, "Yes, of course. He liked blue socks, you like red. He liked roses, you like...lilies? That kind of thing..."

"No," she stated flatly, "it wasn't like that. And how did you know I like lillies?"

Her gaze became suspicious.

"Lucky guess," he answered, "So what was it like then?"

Rei sighed.

"Why do you want to know all this? Don't you think it's a little strange for me to pour out my private life to a perfect stranger?"

Jude considered her words carefully before replying:

"Not really."

Rei pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Look at it this way," he said, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head:

"I barely know you, and you barely know me, we're strangers in the night -"

"Nice Jazz reference-" she commented sarcastically.

"Thank you," he said, "And furthermore, most likely, we won't see each other after tonight. But for tonight we are together - I don't have any family here - neither do you; is it so strange for us to pretend to get along like - like friends? Just to keep each other company? Is that really so strange?"

Rei was tired of listening to this and so she said:

"No, no, it's not. Fine. If it will make you happy."

"Thank you," he answered, humbly.

"So," he continued, "What happened between the kissing cousins?"

Rei considered retorting. She considered back handing him for his rudeness. She even considered maintaining utter silence for the duration of her visit. But she was tired, and though she didn't want to admit it, she was lonely too. And his playfulness had an odd effect on her.

"That was the problem," she mumbled, "We weren't kissing cousins."

Jude was silent a moment. Then he took a long look at Rei.

"You mean there wasn't any chemistry?"

"Not in so many words, no," she admitted. Her hair hid her face as she stared down at her drink in her hands.

"That's...that's hard to believe," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Uh - " he recovered, and put his drink down, "I said, that's tough. There's nothing you can really do about that."

"Well, I wouldn't know," she replied, frostily.

Jude gaped at her, but she wasn't paying attention to him and missed his incredulity at her virtual confession of inexperience.

"Anyway, we soon tired of each others' company. He wanted to go through with the marriage regardless...but I wanted to tour. So I asked him to break it off. It took some persuasion, but in the end we came to an agreement."

She sipped her water with a cool smile.

Jude watched her, contemplatively. His former ideas about Rei Hino were rapidly being replaced by the far more intriguing reality.

With the back of her hand she suppressed a yawn, but Jude's sharp eyes caught it anyway. He rose and took her glass with him to the kitchen.

"Sorry to keep you up when you obviously would rather be asleep. It's probably two in the morning by now."

Rei stood and watched him putter around the room cleaning up - she suppressed a gurgle of laughter at his housewife-antics.

"You must take after your mother, Jude-san," she said.

He gave her a startled glance and broke into a smile.

"Yeah, I do. That's what a lot of people say."

He reached into the closet and pulled out a large, turquoise knitted throw.

"She actually made this for me, " he admitted, "We lived in Colorado, and it gets a little cold sometimes."

Rei went to put her bag by the sofa but Jude picked it up.

"Ah-ah-ah," he tsked, "What do you think you're doing? Your bedroom is that way."

He pointed toward the entrance to the master bedroom.

Rei turned around sharply.

"No, I couldn't ask you to put yourself out for me," she argued, "The sofa is more than sufficient."

"Absolutely not," he replied, evenly, "You are a guest."

"I'm a free-loader."

Rei put her hands on her hips, stubbornly refusing to move out of his way as he made up the sofa.

"I'm sorry to disagree with you," he warned, "But you are not sleeping on this sofa, and that's final."

"You can't tell me where to sleep."

"But you just said you were a free loader." He pointed out.

Rei blinked, opened her mouth, then closed it. Suddenly, and surprisingly, she smiled.

"Alright, alright," she conceded, putting a tired hand to her mouth to hide the smile.

"You win. I'll sleep in the bedroom."

"I'm glad you decided not to fight me on that one," Jude told her, "Because it was about to get ugly."

He laughed when Rei stared at him.

"Miss Hino, you are very intelligent, but you need to learn to take a joke."

"I can take a joke," she argued, miffed again, "I love jokes."

"Really?" He asked, his grin fading a little.

"You don't smile as often as you should."

Suddenly the atmosphere between them altered slightly. Rei felt an uncomfortable and unusual sensation of being off her footing.

"I think that's a little too-"

"I beg your pardon," he interrupted, "That was too forward of me. I'm sorry. I think I need to get some rest."

"Yes, well, it's - well, thank you," she said, confused at why she felt both relieved and disappointed. She wrote it down to exhaustion.

"Sleep well, Miss Hino; if you need anything just call for me."

Rei gazed down at him for a moment. He was kneeling by the sofa, tucking the throw, and he looked up at her as he said this. In that brief second or two she had the odd sensation of being in another time. She shook her head - the moment was broken swiftly.

"You can call me Rei," she said, and made a small bow.

"Alright, then," he stood and made a bow the exact depth hers had been.

"Sleep well, Rei."

Rei felt herself blushing again, and hid her embarrassment and confusion behind the curtain of her hair. She turned and entered the bedroom, taking a calming breath as she closed the door.

* * *

"Well, this is where we part ways, I suppose."

Zoe glanced at Ami in complete surprise.

He had just spent the better part of an hour wandering around the basement of the arena with her, getting lost, getting dirty, getting tired and confused, and now that they had miraculously emerged from the street entrance - she was bidding him farewell.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her brow wrinkling.

"N-no." He replied.

"Oh, good. Well thank you very much, you were a great help," Ami lied. Actually she would have found her way out sooner if Zoe hadn't insisted on leading, but she was too polite to say so - he had been brave to go first, after all.

"Hey, uh - when - when will I see you again?" he asked. If Zoe had been more rational at the moment he would have gagged at the words that were coming out of his mouth, but for some reason, whenever Ami turned her big blue eyes on him, he lost the ability to think straight.

"Let's see," Ami pulled out her Blackberry.

"I think we have a concert together on the beach for the Last Summer Fling festival at the end of the week."

She put the Blackberry back into her pocket and smiled.

"Oh," he said.

"Until this weekend." She said, and turned to walk to the curb to hail a cab.

"Uh, wait," Zoe called, his body lurched into movement and he caught up with her just as a cab arrived.

"Is it alright for you to go home by yourself? I mean, do you know your way around yet?"

"I've memorized the streets to the hotel, the phone number, and the bus route system. I think I'll be alright," she said cheerfully.

"Do you know how to get back?" She asked suddenly, noting his perplexed expression.

"Yeah."

"Oh, good. See you later," she said, and hopped into the cab. It drove off and Zoe watched it until it was out of sight. As though a spell had broken he shook himself and stomped his foot.

"What the hell!?" he choked out.

For a moment he simply stood with his hands on his head, staring at the opposite wall of the building across the street. His behavior was incomprehensible to him - never had he been so completely...uncool.

He shuddered.

"What's so great about her?" he asked himself, turning to the curb to wait for another cab.

"She's cute, but...nothing special," he continued, "Neat. Good musician...no - wonderful musician - but still!"

He took a deep breath and noticed a woman across the street. She was young, his age, and good looking. She stopped and stared at him in an obviously appreciative manner. Zoe put his hands down and smiled at her, slowly. She smiled back, shyly and looked away.

Zoe let out another breath.

"Still got it," he murmured, "Nothings wrong. Momentary lapse of reason. Too much pressure. Traumatic experience...I'm fine."

A cab pulled up and the driver was amazed to hear the lilting voice of the seraphic young man jumping into the car, proclaiming:

"Hah! You're history, Ami Mizuno!"

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

It was seven in the morning on a brisk day late in August. With a smooth and fluid movement, Setsuna pulled out her cell phone and told it to dial:

"Usako."

The phone rang for a few seconds before going to voice mail.

"Usa, it's Setsuna - I don't know where you are, but you need to be in Virgo Records Recording Studio B by nine o'clock sharp. That's AM, not PM. And don't forget to eat before you come."

Setsuna ended the call and said:

"Minako."

The phone went straight to voice mail.

"Mina - Setsuna, when the painkiller wears off you'll need to call me so I can send the chauffer for you. We have rehearsal in Studio B today. Come when you can."

Setsuna ended the call with a long sigh. Kip had called her last night to inform her that her lead singer had a sprained ankle four days before they were scheduled to do a concert on the beach. She had called the choreographers (for what little choreography there was) to readjust the movements for Mina. But knowing her, Mina would insist on performing without any adjustments - professional pride was a real pain in the ass sometimes.

"Mako-chan."

Mako's phone rang three times before a very breathless Mako answered:

"Hello!?"

"Finally, one of you is alive. Where are you?" Setsuna asked.

"Uh..." Mako's voice sounded strangely sheepish.

"I'm...on a date." she said at last.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Yeah, well, see I got lost in the crowd and then Nolan picked me up -" Setsuna could hear a low voice in the background making commentary.

"And he - I mean we - decided to go to this all night karaoke bar, and then we went to the park - and then -"

"I get the idea, you went on a date all night long," Setsuna interrupted, "Which means you'll be of no use to me what-so-ever today."

"Oh," Mako sounded deflated, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Setsuna sighed, "I'm going to have to move our rehearsal anyway. Just get some sleep and be in Stuido B by eight tonight."

"Got it!" Mako answered.

Setsuna smiled as she heard muffled voices in the background. Apparently there was some disagreement.

"And tell Mr. Starre," Setsuna added, half playfully and half in earnest, "Next time he better have you back by midnight. Otherwise no more dates. Got it?"

She could hear the suppressed excitement in Mako's voice - it was catching.

"Yes ma'm."

They hung up.

Setsuna shook her head, wonderingly. Whatever results she'd expected from the disaster of last night's concert, her lead guitarist landing a boyfriend wasn't one of them. At least, she ammended, she hadn't expected it to happen so fast. Her mysterious smile returned.

"Good for Mako-chan," she murmured, affectionately. In her mind she had already planned the hideous death that awaited Nolan Starre should he fail to make Mako happy at any point in the near future.

"Alright, let's get this over with," she continued, "Rei-chan."

Rei didn't pick up. Mildly surprised, Setsuna left another message. It was usual for Mina, Mako and especially Usa to be away from their phones - but Rei almost always picked up after one ring. Before she could begin to worry, Setsuna proceeded to call the last member of her band.

"Hello, Setsuna," Ami's bright voice chirped.

"Hi, Ami, I just wanted to let you know that rehearsal has been moved to eight tonight."

"Alright," Ami replied, already entering this into her Blackberry.

"Oh, you wouldn't happen to know where Rei or Usa is?"

"Hm..." Ami paused a moment, "I believe that Usa left the theatre with M - I mean Mamoru Chiba - last night. At least, I think she did. But I don't know what happened to Rei."

"Oh, that's strange. Well if you hear anything from her, please let me know."

"I will. You shouldn't worry though."

"Oh, I'm not worried," Setsuna remarked, "I know you are all more than capable of taking care of yourselves."

_You just have no idea how capable._ She thought to herself with a smile.

There was a brief pause while Setsuna considered another problem.

"Yes...so you have the day to amuse yourself, Ami. What are you going to do with all your free time?"

Ami thought for a moment.

"I guess," she answered, slowly, "I'll probably practice."

"You're going to rehearse before rehearsal?" Setsuna frowned.

"Well, yes."

"Ami-chan," Setsuna began, leaning against the doorway of the terrace French windows of her hotel suite.

"Don't you think every now and then you should...unwind? Do something fun."

"Fun?" Ami asked, puzzled, "Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Go to a movie, take a walk in the park, visit the library, go to the beach - go on a date -"

Ami interrupted Setsuna's rambling list with an embarassed laugh.

"Oh, you're too funny, Setsuna," she said, "Me? On a date. How silly."

"Uh...Ami-chan -"

"But it might be nice to go to the library," Ami continued in a more serious tone, "If you think I could spare the practice."

"By all means," Setsuna replied hurriedly, "Please - go to the library. Spend all day in the library if you want."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Setsuna muttered. She put a hand to her forehead.

"Well, have fun, Ami. Call me if you hear from the girls."

"I will. See you tonight."

Setsuna hung up.

"She has got to losen up," she groaned to herself.

"Over fourty-hours of practice a week on top of rehearsals. All she ever does is practice - when she isn't studying. Have to do something about that..."

Setsuna looked up a quick number in her organizer and then punched it into her phone. She waited, an eye on her garnet-red nails, as the phone began to ring.

* * *

From his awkward position on the kingsized bed, Mamoru rolled over and picked up his cellphone.

"Hello?" he asked, groggily.

"Oh, Meioh-san," he exclaimed, sitting up quickly. As he did so an arm rolled off his chest and thunked into its owner who promptly rolled over onto her side and continued to slumber blissfully.

"What? Well...yes, she's here," he answered in Japanese. He stole a glance at the figure beside him, wrapped from head to foot in the comforter and sheets of his hotel suite bed.

"She's asleep."

There was a pause as he tried to jerk a little edge of the sheets back for himself. The sleeper wouldn't budge.

"It's a long story," he answered, giving up on the battle, "We got out through the window and climbed down the fire escape. I was going to send her back to your hotel as soon as we were clear of the press, but she fell asleep in the cab."

"She sleeps like a dead person," he added, unkindly. He nudged the other person with his foot and she murmured something incomprehensible before rolling toward him.

"Well, I didn't know that, did I?" he asked, a bit peeved, "She never said anything. She won't even talk to me like a human being. She shouted at me, as a matter of fact, and hit me with a drumstick."

He examined his offended hand. There was a bright purple bruise developing nicely.

"Well, there were cameras and reporters, so -"

"Have I seen the paper this morning?" he repeated, warily, "No...why -"

He froze.

"Oh, no," he muttered, "Could they see my face?"

There was the sound of a loud, explosive comment from the other end.

"Well, I'm sorry about your drummer's image," he retorted, smoothly, "But I was a little more worried about protecting my own."

There was a snarky comment from the other end of the line.

"It's not selfish," he answered, "It's common sense."

Beside him, Usa mumbled something about breakfast and slowly scooted closer to him. He edged farther away.

"Listen," he said to Setsuna, "I can't help what happened. I don't really think it will come to anything. But it's important for me to stay here without anyone knowing who I am...because..."

He paused and gave a side long glance at Usa, who slumbered on.

"Alright," he said in a low voice, as he edged off the bed and padded toward the living room.

Mamoru took a deep breath and in a low voice he said:

"I broke my contract."

He waited for Setsuna to finish being shocked.

"Because," he answered, when she was through, "I was tired of being used like a trick pony. You have no idea what kind of power they had over me, Sets. And there was nothing I could do. I had no real friends."

"In fact," he laughed a short, rather hard laugh, "Besides you, I've never really had any friends at all."

Setsuna was quite for a long moment.

"Anyway," he continued, "It doesn't matter now. I just wanted to get away from it all before I went crazy. This opportunity came along - and I get along fairly well with them - they don't ask questions and they let me do as I please."

"What do you mean, is that all I want?" He repeated, "What does it matter? I just need my freedom. I've always been fine on my own."

Setsuna didn't seem inclined to argue with him at this point, instead she said:

"Be that as it may, even if I'm your only friend, I worry about you. You know, whatever kind of trouble you're having -"

"Well, thanks," he interrupted, with real emotion for the first time, "I'll remember that. Same to you."

"Now, about Usa, there's something you ought to know about her -"

There was a small noise from the bedroom.

"Gotta go," he said, looking back, "But I'll send her on her way, don't worry. Bye."

Mamoru snapped his phone shut and shuffled back to the bedroom. Jerking a shirt over his head, he walked to Usa's side of the bed and grabbed the edge of the comforter and sheets. Flipping them open as though he was unrolling a carpet, he cried:

"Rise and shine, princess!"

Usa flopped clumsily out of the sheets and comforter and rolled all the way off the bed to land on the floor with a solid smack.

"Ow!" she called out in an annoyed tone. Mamoru started to straighten the bed, not paying her any attention.

"What an awful way to wake up," she exclaimed, standing on her wobbly legs. When she saw him her eyes did a double take, then she took in the bed, his night clothing - and her own, which consisted of a pair of men's pajamas.

"What did you do to me, you beast!?" she demanded, clutching her arms around her shoulders.

Mamoru simply stared down his nose at her as if at something vaguely offensive. Usa had the uncomfortable yet all too familiar sensation of Mamoru being a prince looking down on a peasant - her. It made her hand itch to throw something at him.

"I merely took you in for the night instead of leaving you on the street. Which I was greatly tempted to do, I'll have you know."

"Oh, relax, for goodness sake," he added hurriedly as he spotted the beginning of a storm in her eyes, "I didn't do anything to you. I asked the maid to change you into those."

Usa blinked at him.

"R-really?" she asked, her voice only had the slightest of quivers.

"I promise," he said, in a minutely kinder tone, "Besides, I have absolutely no interest in your immature body anyway."

Usa had been helping him straighten the bed clothes but she stopped dead at this offhand comment.

"What!?" she sputtered, "What's wrong with me?"

Mamoru gave her a cool, measuring look.

"For one thing," he began, "Your hairstyle is ridiculous. Are you trying to look like a middle-schooler?"

Usa's mouth dropped open.

"You look like that anime character - what's-her-name?"

"Don't!" Usa spat, "Don't you dare say I look like Sailor Moon. I hate it when people tell me that! I thought of this hairstyle by myself."

"Bravo."

"You -"

"And," he went on, in his bored voice, "You are too thin. It wouldn't kill you to gain some weight."

"I can't help it," she snarled, "It's my metabolism."

'That's what they all say' is what his face plainly told her.

Usa threw a pillow into place with enough force to knock down a wall, making Mamoru flinch.

Then she put her hands on her hips and gave him a level look.

"Just because you are hot stuff in Japan doesn't mean that you are worth two cents here."

To emphasize this point she snapped her fingers.

"But I'm a member of a nationally acclaimed rock band," he reminded her with a sardonic smile.

Usa chewed on this for a moment, then threw another pillow into the headboard.

"Well, that may be," she admitted, "But you still have the most rotten attitude I've ever encountered."

"I think that's a little unfair," he answered, "Since you hardly know me at all."

"Well, you don't make it all that tempting."

"Well, neither do you."

"Fine!"

"Fine."

They both stood, glaring at each other like opposing generals across the bed/battlefield. Mamoru took a deep, calming breath.

"Listen, we may have to work together in the future. For that reason, let's just agree to disagree from this day forth. Truce?"

He held out a hand. Usa looked at it as though he'd offered her a dead fish. Gingerly she accepted it and shook it with extreme and over-exagerated reluctance.

"Truce."

There was brief, almost but not quite, companionable silence as they began working together to smooth the wrinkles from the coverlet.

"You know," she added thoughtfully, "I probably wouldn't dislike you so much if you didn't look exactly like my ex-fiance."

The mood immediately soured once more.

"What a surprise - perhaps you do have good taste after all," he quipped.

"Apparently not, since you don't just look like him - you act like an asshole too."

"Well, then that doesn't say much for your judgement, does it?" he retorted.

"Hah. It's not my fault guys like you are self-centered little boys."

"Like I said," he replied, his eyes glinting coldly, "You hardly know me. And if you think you can peg me so easily after one night, it only shows how truly shallow you are."

Usa didn't know how to answer this so she stomped out of the room instead. Mamoru didn't see the real hurt in her face - her former accusations were still ringing in his ears.

"That really is my biggest pet peeve," he went on, following her, but not raising his voice, "People like you who judge others on a ridiculously shallow basis. You look at me and see your ex-fiance, and you end up throwing wine on a person you don't even know. And when you finally do recognize me you moon all over me because I was an idol. You don't think before you act, you don't have consideration for other people - and you don't know the first thing about my life or what I'm like."

Mamoru stopped, taking a much needed breath. He was surprised at his own behavior - he could never remember being this angry before in his life. It startled him.

_Where did all of that come from?_ he wondered. He was used to keeping a tight rein on his emotions - so tight that he often failed to recognize when something actually upset him.

"Are you finished?" Usa asked, quietly.

Mamoru was almost afraid to look at her, and when he did he felt an odd and sudden pang at the expression on her face - it was both incredibly weary and vulnerable at the same time. It came to him then that perhaps he had been too hasty in his judgements as well.

"You may be right," she said, slowly picking up her things and putting them in her bag.

"I do tend to follow my instincts when it comes to understanding other people. I tend to follow my heart rather than my head. But at least I'm honest about who I am."

Her pale blue eyes met his dark ones and he was surprised at the intensity of her expression. They gazed at one another for an awkward moment before she broke it by shouldering her bag.

"You really get under my skin," she said softly, "Maybe it's better if we don't meet too often in the future."

"Yeah," he nodded, not really sure of what he was saying. Something had happened in the past few minutes and he was still trying to work out what it was - he felt that it was something important.

"Thank you for taking care of me," she said, with an attempt at genuine gratitude.

"You're welcome," he mumbled.

Usa turned and went to change in the bathroom. A few minutes later she walked out the door of the hotel suite. Mamoru didn't watch her go - he was already in the shower. But her expression lingered afterwards in his mind for quite a long time.

* * *

"This is so much fun!" Mako laughed, spinning.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Nolan smiled.

He was watching her spin in the seat of a swing in the public park's playground. Mako seemed to have forgotten she was supposed to act older - at the moment she looked like a happy ten-year old, albeit a very tall one.

She stopped spinning and nearly fell over, only looking up at Nolan to giggle at him. He was sitting in the swing beside her and while she looked at him with that funny expression he suddenly felt the urge to lean over and kiss her. Which he acted on.

The kiss was relatively light, but it surprised Mako so much that she fell out of her swing. She sat on the sand, blinking up at him.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, teasingly.

Mako laughed nervously and let him help her to her feet. She didn't want to tell him that it was her first kiss - and that she was extremely nervous at the moment.

"N-no way," she said, "You just surprised me, is all."

"Oh, well I'll warn you next time," he said.

"N-next time," she stuttered, "Yeah."

He gave her a half-concerned, half-amused look.

"You know," she said, looking at her watch, "I think I should be heading back. Sets was pretty serious about my sleeping before rehearsal tonight. And - I'm pretty tired."

"I can see that," he answered, reluctantly standing and taking her arm in his.

"Then let's get you home and to bed."

Mako couldn't keep herself from smiling, but she tried to hide it. They had just spent a ridiculous night doing the first things that came into their heads - the karaoke bar, the park, and before that they had watched the sun come up over the ocean. All in all it was the stuff of legends, Mako reflected. A wonderful first date for anyone. She couldn't remember ever feeling so happy or content. Or nervous.

Nolan hailed a cab and handed her in. She closed the door but he tapped on the glass and she rolled the window down. He leaned in over the door and kissed her forehead.

"Sleep well," he said, and gave her a smile that made her feel like a marshmallow. The sudden pricking of doubt and insecurity began to creep up her spine.

"Uh, so, I guess I'll see you when I see you, huh?" she asked, with a jaunty smile.

He made a small frown.

"Yes. I hope so." he said, "Sooner rather than later."

Mako nodded vigorously and the last vestige of clouds left his face at the eagerness of her expression. He smiled again and waved her off.

As he turned to find his own cab his cell phone rang. He opened it.

"Hello, mother," he said, cheerfully.

"Ha, ha, very funny," the voice replied, "Where the hell have you been? And why haven't you answered your phone? Do you know how worried I am?"

"Tut-tut," Nolan murmured, sliding into the cab and pausing to give the driver directions.

"That's all very well for you to say," Jude went on, "But you haven't been holed up with a wolverine all night long. I can't say one word wrong or she goes all ice princess on my ass."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

Nolan's eyes widened.

"Wow. I knew you liked her but I didn't think you'd move this fast." He commented.

"Please, spare me your sarcasm - it's too early for sarcasm."

"It's never too early for sarcasm," Nolan opined, sagely.

"You sound like you haven't slept at all - have you been drinking?" Jude hissed.

"No, mother, I have not been drinking. As a matter of fact I have been steering clear of alcohol establishments since midnight."

"Why?" Jude asked, perplexed. Suddenly his tone became very suspicious.

"Have you been out with a girl all night long?" he demanded.

"Mmm." Nolan made a non-committal humming noise.

"You have!" Jude cried, "Who is it?"

"You remember the guitar player?"

"HER!?"

"I'm tired, not deaf," Nolan complained.

"I can't believe you! Didn't I tell you no more guitar players?" Jude scolded, "Look what happened to you last time. Total disaster."

"This one's different," Nolan smiled.

"That's what you always say."

"I really mean it though," Nolan insisted, taking out his rabbit's foot. He turned it over in his hand and gazed at it.

"I can tell," he said, a dreamy quality in his voice, "She's different."

Jude made a rude snorting noise.

"Here we go again."

"Well," Nolan answered,"Then I'll leave you to the devices of Miss Hino. Two's company, three's a-"

"No!" Jude choked, "No, don't hang up! Please. You don't know what I've been through."

"I can imagine," Nolan informed him.

"No, you can't," Jude answered, in a flat tone.

"Just come over as soon as possible."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Nolan promised.

"And, Jude," he added, "You probably ought to be nice to Miss Hino."

"Why's that?"

"Because she thinks you're gay. When she finds out you aren't, after spending an unchaperoned night at your place...well...let's just say that, according to Mako, the traditional Miss Hino holds her reputation higher than her life..."

"I'm a dead man," Jude whispered, his voice suddenly lifeless.

"In so many words."

"Wait a minute," he demanded, "Why the hell -"

"Because you will persist in not getting a girlfriend," Nolan explained, impatiently, "Mako told me all about it. All the girls think you're a -."

"But I'm not gay!"

"I never said you were, but you don't take the proper precautions and you see what happens."

"That's the most asinine thing I've ever heard! Who would think like that!?"

"Get a girlfriend, and make sure that Miss Hino doesn't find out."

There was a brief yet pregnant pause.

"Nolan..."

"Yeah?"

"I think it's too late."

Nolan heard the sound of something expensive smashing in the background.

"I'll be there in two minutes." He promised.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

"Now, Rei, just put the globe down."

Jude had both hands out in front of him, cautiously eying the irate woman standing poised to smash his body to pieces with the marble globe in her hands.

"You lied to me," she seethed. Was it his imagination or had her eyes, for a moment, flashed red?

"I didn't lie," he argued, trying to remain calm, "You assumed."

"This is my fault?" She asked, softly.

"No! No-no-no-no...that's not what I meant."

He swallowed hard.

"I just meant that I never actually told you my - ah - sexual preference, so I think that this misunderstanding wasn't a ...deliberate thing."

"I see."

The globe lowered a inch. Jude took a deep breath.

"And," he continued, "If I'd known how you felt about staying in a room with a man -"

The globe began to rise.

"I would never have suggested it!" He yelled, bringing both arms up to cover his face and bracing himself for the bone crushing blow.

With his eyes squeezed tight he heard a sigh and a thud. He opened them and saw Rei sitting forlornly on the arm of his sofa - the globe rolling like a chained bowling ball on the floor.

"I'm so embarrassed," she said, putting a hand to her head. Her skin was pale against the sheet of her dark hair.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"

"Your customs - your...values, are different from mine - from my family's. I know a lot of people wouldn't have a problem with something like this but - I have a big problem with it and if anyone finds out - frankly...I'm done."

The finality with which she uttered this last part seemed inconsistent with the subject matter. Jude's curiosity got the better of him.

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

"I know," she answered, flatly. She shook her hair out of her face and pined him with a steady gaze.

"I told you that I was engaged to my cousin," she reminded him, "and that my family wasn't exactly happy when I broke this off."

"Yes, right."

"And," she explained, "when I said that what I really meant was that the only reason they haven't disowned me is because I took what amounts to a vow of chastity - by my family's standards that means no unnecessary contact with a male until I'm engaged."

Jude's eyes widened in surprise. He whistled low.

"That seems a little...harsh."

Rei's gaze hardened.

"I'm proud of my family," she said, "They expect a lot from me, and I plan to exceed their expectations."

"But what about your own happiness?" He countered, his eyes softening.

Rei blinked.

"I am pursuing it right now," she argued, "I am singing - doing something I love. That's enough."

Jude walked over to face her, sitting in the chair opposite to the sofa.

"Listen," he began, "I understand your family's take on this, but I still think it's too harsh on you. What happens if you want to spend time with male friend, or - heaven forbid - go on a date?"

Rei let loose an expression of disgust.

"I have been on 'dates'," she commented, "And frankly I don't see what the attraction is."

"Don't see the attraction," Jude repeated, "I don't..."

Suddenly his eyes lit up. He had that feeling he sometimes got before he did something incredibly brilliant - or incredibly stupid.

"I have a proposal."

She gave him a weary look of scorn.

"Hear me out," he said, brushing an almost trembling hand through his hair, "Just hear me out. In order for you to continue your career, your family has stipulated that you can't have contact with males -"

"Until I'm engaged," she answered, bored.

"Yes, until you're engaged," he repeated, and suddenly got a large, silly, self-satisfied smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, I fail to see..." she began.

"Are you in love with anyone?" he asked, bluntly.

Rei's mouth pinched until her face was bloodless.

"Because if you aren't," he continued, "then becoming engaged to anyone shouldn't be a problem."

Rei's mouth dropped open.

"And," Jude went on, "if you could become engaged to anyone, why not someone you know who isn't a creep and who genuinely wants to help you - like me?"

Rei sudden loss of speech was suddenly rectified.

"Have you lost your mind!?" she shouted, jumping up from the sofa.

"Why on earth would I want to become engaged to you!? I barely even know you!! You insolent, unthinking -"

"Hold on, hold on," Jude yelped, avoiding her repeated jabs with the sofa cushions.

"Moron! What a stupid idea -"

"It wouldn't be for real!" he shouted.

"What?" she huffed, forgetting to hit him.

"It wouldn't be a real engagement - we would be betrothed in name only - in rumor only, if you will. And when you don't need an alibi anymore - poof!"

He snapped his fingers in front of her startled face.

"No more fiance."

Rei lifted the pillow and he winced, but she halted with it in mid-swing - thinking.

"A marriage of convenience," she said at last, "That's what you're proposing, right?"

"Right. You tell people we're engaged, I'll act the part of the good boyfriend, we'll be seen together in a few places - rumors will fly and the tabloids will do all the work. If anything about today gets back to your family - which it probably will - we can cover it by saying you were ill and I volunteered to take care of you - chalk it down to a worried fiance."

Rei lowered the pillow a bit more.

"But," she started, her brows lowering, "What do you get out of this?"

"You really are a politician's daughter," he muttered.

"I get a convenient excuse to give my mother when she starts pestering me about my lack of a romantic life."

"Why don't you have a girlfriend?" Rei asked, suddenly, "That's strange, by all accounts."

"I just don't feel like having one," he answered, a bit peeved, "You of all people should be able to understand that."

"Fair enough," Rei answered.

She tossed the pillow onto the sofa and walked to the other side of the sofa. When she turned around her face was utterly business like.

"Alright," she said, "Let's say for the moment that I agree to this... Let's suppose that you do pretend to be my fiance until we go back to Japan-"

She eyed his excited facial expression with disapproval.

"What will happen to you when it's over?"

Jude gave her a surprised look.

"What would happen to me? Nothing."

Rei stared at him for a long, quiet moment. Jude stared back evenly.

"It's a crazy idea," she mused at last, "Absolutely crazy. But theoretically it has some attractions. You seem to be a relatively mild, if stupid, young man."

"Thank you."

"And," she continued, "You don't get on my nerves as much as some men have in the past."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that."

"So," she went on, still paying him absolutely no attention, "I'll think about it. For now."

"Well, first thing is first," he added, standing, "We'll have to -"

At that moment the door of the suite crashed to the floor - the splinters of wood and the hinges dangling from the wall.

"Jude! I'm here! Are you hurt?"

The dust from the dying sheet rock settled to reveal the heroic figure of Nolan on the threshold. Rei was muttering something about 'baboons and barbarians' under her breath. Jude shook himself and tried to remember what he'd been asked.

"I'm not hurt..." Jude answered, feeling his heart slowly return to normal.

"But the door will never recover."

"Oh," Nolan turned to look at the door. When he turned back he had a ludicrously sheepish expression on his face.

"Sorry."

* * *

Ami tottered out of the library with a mountainous stack of books, as happy as she had ever been. She got to the steps of the public library when she suddenly stopped moving.

She pushed, and didn't go anywhere. She stopped and briefly considered the possibilities.

"So, it's you," said a voice.

"Excuse me?" she asked, politely. She'd dressed in a dark wig and had taken special precautions to wear her most disfiguring set of glasses - so she was surprised that someone had recognized her.

"Don't tell me you don't remember me?" the voice asked, slightly annoyed.

"Well, I'm not sure, perhaps if I could see you - " she began.

Suddenly she felt someone lift more than half the books from her pile and set them on the floor.

Before her stood a slender, almost too thin, youth whose androgynous face belonged on the Sistine Chapel's ceiling rather than behind a pair of designer sun-glasses. His lithe figure was clothed in a style imitating the current fashion - which is to say that it was carelessly chic.

"Now do you know me?" he asked in a lovely, bored voice.

"No," Ami replied, "I'm sorry, I don't think I do."

Ami bent to the daunting task of re-stacking her books while the young man simply stared at her, aghast.

"You can't be serious?" he asked.

"What?" Ami murmured, "Should I know you?"

He ripped off his glasses to reveal stunning, and stunned, green eyes.

"It's me, Zoe -

"Oh, you're the boy who helped me find the ladies' room," she said, cheerfully.

"I'm Zoe Greene," he answered in a clipped tone of voice.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you - would you mind handing me that -"

She pointed to a large tome.

Zoe picked it up and glanced at it.

"Warner's Dictionary of Standard Anatomy?" He read, "Why are you reading stuff like this?"

"Because it's interesting," Ami answered, her tone implying that this was rather obvious.

Zoe recoiled from her bodily.

"Interesting?" he repeated, "What's interesting about the insides of people?"

"Well - " Ami drew a deep breath and Zoe realized that she was about to give a very definitive answer.

"Never mind," he interrupted quickly, "I guess someone has to like it."

"Well, I don't see why they'd have to."

Zoe stared at her. For the first time he really looked at her.

"You like this kind of thing, don't you?" he asked, slowly, "You're a nerd."

Ami blinked.

"Am I? I've never heard that word before. But then my English vocabulary isn't as comprehensive as I'd like it to be."

Zoe's world seemed to tilt and heave like a pitching ship on stormy waters. He steadied himself by putting his sunglasses back on. Thus achieving a modicum of 'cool', the world seemed to re-orient itself slightly.

"You are a bookworm," he explained in crisp tones, "An intelligent person who makes up for what they lack in style by what they know about...er...anatomy, I suppose."

"Not just anatomy, I enjoy music too," Ami interrupted, "And math. And reading, of course - I don't just read non-fiction."

This last bit was said with a blush and an extremely confidential tone of voice.

Zoe knew he should back away from this undeserving pariah of social interaction - but there was something in her blush that was too interesting.

"Well, I'm relieved to hear that," he admitted, grudgingly, "I wouldn't want the girl I apparently have a crush on to be more interested in books than in me."

Though he prided himself on delivering lines like this with an unparalleled panache, and also a useful nonchalance (that always managed to give the receiver no clear impression of whether he was serious or not), saying the off-handed phrase to Ami rasied his heart rate considerably. He continued to look off into the distance through his shades as the wind blew through his strawberry hair.

"Oh, your girlfriend likes books you mean?" she asked, innocently.

The sakura petals ceased falling and Zoe barely managed to recover his dangerously wounded ego at this point.

Years of rejection by those who should have loved him had taught him to be overly cautious in seeking approval or affection from other people. It had also taught him to be fiercely self-reliant - and fiercely protective of himself. He had become a superb actor - and he recovered quickly.

"Well, I think she does," he answered, "I imagine that she would."

"Hm."

Ami smiled politely and started to pick up her books.

"What about you?" he asked, helping her stack the books.

"Me?"

"Yeah, does your boyfriend like reading as much as you do?"

Her reaction was typically modest - he observed. She turned beet red and nearly dropped the books.

"I don't have a - uh - one of those. I mean." she stuttered.

He smiled inadvertently at her quaint phrasing.

"That's a surprise. You're very pretty."

She blushed even harder and dropped a few more books.

"So you don't have one right now?"

"I've never had one."

Zoe lifted his eyebrows in mock surprise - he'd already guessed this would be her answer.

"Well, would you like one?" he asked, brazenly.

Ami stared at him for a moment before tilting her head to one side. She said:

"No, I don't think so."

Zoe was genuinely surprised. He'd expected more fluttering embarrassment or at the least a shy reply in the affirmative - this frank refusal was alarming evidence that Miss Mizuno certainly had a mind of her own.

"What do you mean?" he blurted out without thinking.

Ami didn't seem to consider this rude - she paused to consider her reply as carefully as though they were having a debate about the ethics of human cloning.

"Well," she began, "From what I have observed and studied about such things, one must be approached by an interested party before any relationship can begin - which I haven't been - approached I mean -"

Zoe's cheek twitched.

"- Nor is it likely to happen as I am not a particularly attractive person. Nor am I what is considered to be socially adept. However, should there be such an occurrence, it would most likely lead to a relationship - the maintenance of which would most likely require at least seventy hours a week - which doesn't leave enough time for my practice or rehearsals, not to mention shows."

Zoe simply stared.

"In conclusion," she finished, after a short breath, "I have to say that, unless the man or the relationship was remarkable, the amount of effort and time would not justify the detriment to my professional commitments. And that doesn't even include my study time for med school."

Zoe's feeble mind, growing weaker by the minute, latched on to this last fish in the stream of Ami's speech.

"You're going to med school?" He asked, wanly.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Ami looked at him closely, noticing that he seemed a bit pale.

"Because I want to be a doctor. Like my mother."

"Your mother is a doctor...oh...is your dad..."

"My father is gone," she answered, for the first time he caught sight of an iciness in her blue eyes.

"I'm s-"

"He's painting somewhere in Europe, I think."

"Oh, you mean he - he left you?"

This was unexpected. In the imaginary world Zoe had concocted as Ami's past, she had two loving if overprotective parents and a host of younger siblings. This bubble, like so many others, was irretrievably burst.

"Yes," Ami answered, truthfully, "When I was four. He and my mother had a slight disagreement."

"I didn't mean to pry -" he began.

"I don't mind," she said, and suddenly smiled.

"It's almost...I think it's sort of pleasant to talk to you about these things, actually," she said, in a tone of discovery, "I haven't really spoken about myself with the girls. It just never seems to come up."

"Hey," Zoe said, making a very fast decision and grabbing more than half the books, "Are you busy? Why don't we walk over to the park bench over there and continue our conversation."

Ami looked in the direction he pointed and faltered.

"I don't know," she said, "I have spent nearly two hours in the library - I really ought to practice..."

"Oh, come on," Zoe beckoned, "It's such a nice day..."

Lame! He screamed to himself, mentally. But to his astonishment, it seemed to be working. Ami was looking around herself - really looking - at her surroundings, and she seemed to enjoy what she saw. Her face held a look of longing.

"Well, maybe just for a little while," she conceded.

"Wonderful!"

* * *

"Let me get this straight."

Kip pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to ease his headache.

"You and Rei Hino are going to pretend to be...engaged?"

Jude nodded.

Kip let out a long, long, long sigh.

Setsuna gave a chuckle. He looked at her with something amounting to alarm plastered on his face.

"I think it's...quite...amusing." She answered and reached over to pat him on the back.

"Why is this happening?" Kip asked, ignoring her efforts of consolation.

After a terrible night, his drummer was now asking him to lie about his relationship with Rei Hino for some inscrutable reason - Kip was only too glad that the only people in the room at present were Setsuna, Rei, Jude and himself.

"Because, Miss Hino isn't allowed to be in a room with an unmarried male for -"

"It's my private life - my business," Rei broke in heatedly, throwing Jude an unamused glance as she corrected him, "I don't want the press making any more of this than they already have."

"Well, after both of you were photographed exiting the local police station together, and then seen exiting the hotel together the morning after..." Setsuna began.

"Don't say anymore," Rei commanded. Setsuna paused with a smile.

"Right," Kip answered, "Ok. So it's because of this that you have decided to become engaged?"

"We're pretending to be engaged until she goes back to Japan." Jude explained, patiently, "That way it doesn't look quite so bad. And Miss Hino's reputation remains somewhat intact."

"Right." Kip answered again.

"But," Rei broke in,"There are some rules we're going to get straight first, got it?"

"Yes, ma'm." Jude, with his cockiest grin, saluted her. She threw him a withering glance.

"First, you don't touch me unless I tell you to."

Jude raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Second, we are betrothed, not married - don't expect me to do the meek wife in public or private -"

"I wouldn't dream of it," he interrupted, honestly, "The very idea is repulsive."

"Third, when it's over - it's over - and it is always pretend. We are business partners. Not friends, not lovers, - business associates."

"Got it," Jude nodded, "But if you're finished, I have a few of my own."

Rei looked as though she would like to quash his small sprout of independence but she held her temper in check. Kip watched them in silence, as though he was watching a volleyball match. Setsuna merely continued to looked amused.

"First," Jude began, with a small, but determined smile, "You can't abuse me - when we're in public you have to act like you don't hate me - otherwise this will never work."

Rei nodded, grudgingly.

"Second," he continued, "You have to agree to go on one date with me each week - nothing special -" he interrupted her protestations, "just something perfunctory to keep up appearances."

"And third," he finished, his eyes glinting, "You must promise me that you will have fun on our dates. Regardless of the fact that they aren't real - You. Must. Have. Fun."

Rei struggled for a long moment.

"Why is this important to you?" she asked, at last.

"I don't know," he answered, frankly, "I guess I have a soft spot for you."

Both Kip and Rei stared at him for a moment, but Setsuna suddenly laughed - shaking her head.

"You certainly do have a strange sense of humor," she said.

"Yeah," Jude answered, but he looked only half amused. Masochistic is more like it - he thought.

"If you really think this is the best option," Kip began.

"At this point it's just about the only option," Setsuna broke in.

"Then," he continued, "I'll do what I can to help you. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Miss Hino. Miss Meioh."

"No, it's nothing," Rei answered, dissmissively. She caught Setsuna chuckling.

"What is it?" She asked the other woman, "You've been looking like a cat with a canary since we first met up."

"It's nothing," Setsuna replied, smiling, "It's just..."

"Some things never change."

"Now, if you'll excuse me," she added, walking away from the bewildered people behind her, "I have to call Usa about five times to make sure she doesn't show up this morning."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: **I apologize in advance to Seiya fans. -

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

Usa hung up her phone and replaced it in her pocket.

"No rehearsal..." she mumbled to herself, "But I'm already here."

She looked up at the studio building and let out a long sigh.

Across the street a few people were walking by, one of them carrying a guitar case. A few others were technicians moving old sound equipment out of one of the studios to make way for the newest technology.

Usa watched them for a while before shouldering her bag and walking back toward the street to catch a bus. She pulled her city map out of her jacket and stumbled to the bus stop.

"Usa?" a voice asked, "What are you doing here?"

Usa looked up sharply to find Mina, looking slightly bedraggled, standing in front of her.

"I - I didn't get Setsuna's message in time," she explained. Suddenly Mina's phone made a dinging sound.

"What message?" Mina asked. Usa thought her voice sounded slurred.

Mina picked up her phone and glanced at the text.

"Oh," she grumbled, "That message."

"No rehearsal today, huh? Just after I got my lazy butt out of bed of course. Ye gods!"

Mina sat down on the sidewalk with a plop. Usa bent over and looked into her cousin's face.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, "You don't look so good."

"I don't feel like a million dollars, that's for sure," Mina replied, sourly. She patted the pavement, and after an ungainly moment, Usa sat down beside her.

"I sprained my ankle last night," Mina continued, "And the pain meds they gave me must have been for an elephant. I can't even remember what happened after I left the Hotel theater."

"I wish I had that problem."

Mina alerted by Usa's tone, turned to scrutinize her face.

"What's wrong? You look like you've been crying."

Usa dropped her face into her hands and laced her fingers through her hair. After a moment her shoulders started to shake just slightly. Mina scooted closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"What happened? You can tell me."

"I'm sorry," Usa choked out, making a supreme effort to control her emotions, "It's just overwhelming."

"What is?"

"You know when I saw Mamoru at the banquet - my heart stopped, "Usa explained, rather incoherently, "I really thought it was Seiya."

"I know, I know." Mina patted her back and smoothed the long hair off of her shoulder.

"I should have known it couldn't be him," Usa continued, "Why am I so stupid?"

She balled her fist on the last word and smacked it into her thigh.

"Hey now, wait..."Mina stopped her, "You're being too hard on yourself. It was a little hasty, but you aren't stupid - they do look a lot alike. They even act a lot alike -"

Usa gave a watery chuckled.

"That's what I told him," she mentioned, "I said that he acted like an asshole - just like Seiya - but...that was unfair..."

Mina was startled at the tone of remorse.

"Hey, if you're saying that you feel bad because you insulted Mamoru Chiba, I really think you should rethink that statement. The man is a real pain. I know, I've worked with him in the movie industry, Usa, and he was a jerk even then."

"In fact," she mused, "I'd say he was worse. He's improved since he came to America...if only slightly."

"But you don't know what I said to him," Usa interrupted.

"Sure I do, I was there...wasn't I?" Mina's memory seemed a bit fuzzy.

"I don't mean at the banquet, I mean afterwards."

"Afterwards?" Mina repeated, "What does that mean?"

Usa blushed faintly.

"He helped me get out- after you disappeared - and we went down the fire escape - but I didn't want to be around him because he gets on my nerves, " she clenched her fists at this point and some of her old anger returned.

"I got you, ok, so..."

"So I told him as much and then he wouldn't let go of me - and there were all these cameras and reporters everywhere - and I told him I'd tell them who he was if he didn't let go - I mean I wouldn't have," she interrupted herself at Mina's surprised glance, "Obviously, it was just an empty threat - but he - he -"

Usa took a deep gulp of air, not observing Mina's face growing dark and angry as she waited in anticipation for the rest.

"He kissed me."

Some of the darkness abated from Mina's features - she seemed relieved.

"That's not so bad," she offered, "It is certainly weird, but -"

"Not so bad?" Usa repeated, astounded, "How can you say that?! I don't like him!"

"Well you don't have to convince me," Mina pointed out rather ironically.

"That's right," Usa huffed, "I don't. Now, where was I?"

"Being kissed."

"Yes! In front of all those people. I was so embarrassed - and then he pushed me into a cab. I thought he was going to kidnap me but all he did was make rude comments about my clothes until I..."

"What?" Mina eyed Usa's sheepish face with wry amusement.

"I fell asleep." Usa admitted.

"You really can sleep anywhere, can't you?"

"I was exhausted," Usa argued, "Anyone would have been after all that!"

"Right, right, so..."

"So, I woke up...ahem, in his bed -"

Mina's eye grew wide.

"Nothing like that!" Usa shouted, startling several pigeons that had landed close by to listen to the recital and hoped for free food.

"We didn't do anything - obviously," Usa hissed.

"Obviously."

"Because I can't stand him."

"You can't stand him, right," Mina nodded.

"He was in a foul mood as usual," Usa continued, "And we both got mad, said some things we shouldn't have said, and I left."

"Is that all?" Mina asked, astonished, "Why were you crying just now?"

"Because..." Usa turned a bit pale, "Because...he told me...he said something that..."

"Hurt." Mina finished. Usa nodded.

"What did he say?" Mina asked, quietly.

Usa took a deep breath and looked at the park across the street.

"He said that I am the kind of person he hates: a selfish person who doesn't get to know people before she judges them...that I don't really care about other people -"

"That absolutely untrue!" Mina began, angrily, "He doesn't even know you -"

"But he's right," Usa said.

Mina stopped with her mouth open and simply looked at Usa for a moment. Instead of the usual distressed and harried look she often wore when she was upset, Usa had a look on her face that Mina had seen once several years ago - it was one that she detested.

"He's right," Usa repeated, "I am like that. I spoke and acted without considering his feelings - or even what he was really like."

"Now listen," Mina countered, her voice hard, "That's great and all, but don't let this prick get to you. You have made more than your share of sacrifices, Usa Tsukino, more than that asshole has had to make in his life, I'm sure. You are the most self-sacrificing person I know. And he needs his glasses checked if he can't see that."

"Whether that's true or not," Usa replied, "No one will see it unless I show them that side of me, will they?"

For once, Mina had nothing to say.

"Anyway, it's better not to think about things like that," Usa went on after a moment. She wiped her hand across her face like a child - drying her eyes with her jacket sleeve.

"I haven't thought about Seiya for years," she mused after a moment, "Mamoru only reminded me of him because they look a lot alike. It's a shame - he looks just like..."

"If you say Mamoru Chiba reminds you of that little boy that used to live next door to us that you had the biggest crush on in the world, then so help me I will tie you up in a straight-jacket."

"I didn't say that!" Usa argued, blushing furiously. She took a swat at Mina's shoulder and missed.

"Just like you didn't say that about Mr. Wrong too." Mina reminded her.

"I can't help it, they both look like him."

Mina shook her head and chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. But no matter how much you may have liked that kid, Usa, picking guys just because they remind you of him doesn't seem to be working out well."

"I know." Usa sobered, "Well, it's not like it matters now. And Mamoru may look a lot like Seiya but I know, deep down, they're really very different. Mamoru may be hard to get along with - but he's not - he wouldn't -"

"Abandon someone who'd given up everything to be with him," Mina finished flatly.

Usa waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"I know, I know," Mina returned, properly chastised, "I won't beat my favorite dead horse, but still - I can't get over how he treated you - Seiya, I mean - I don't think I ever will."

"That's funny," Usa chuckled a little, "When you didn't even date him."

"I didn't have to," Mina replied, haughtily, "Whatever happens to you, happens to me too - if he hurts you he's hurt me."

"That's why I love you." Usa put her head on Mina's shoulder and most of the gruffness of Mina's manner melted away. She patted the head and sighed.

"Well, let's not think about any of them anymore - we won't be seeing them for much longer anyway."

"Mina?" Usa asked, suddenly curious, "Did you see anyone you knew last night?"

Mina straightened.

"No, not really, why?"

"I don't know, it just seemed like you knew Kipling Gray."

"Oh, well, we've run into each other a few times before..."Mina trailed off, trying to think of how best to change the subject.

"That's funny, because I was watching him last night and..." she turned her face up to look at Mina squarely.

"I think he likes you, Mina."

Mina sucked in her breath and remembered to remain casual.

"Really? How bizarre. I barely know him," she laughed, "But why would you think that?"

"I just saw the way he looked at you," Usa replied, dreamily, "Whenever he wasn't talking to someone, his eyes usually made their way back to you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's pretty good looking - maybe you should -"

"Ha!" Mina cut in, "Yeah right. I bet we wouldn't get along at all. He's way too straight-laced and by the book for me. We have nothing in common. And he's always looking after that snot-nosed kid."

Usa lifted her head from Mina's shoulder to give her a startled glance.

"For someone who doesn't really know him, you sure do know a lot." she pointed out.

Mina blushed.

"No way, I just...I talked to him once - uh - in Japan, back when I was doing movies - and he had his brother with him - the kid messed up the whole studio. It was awful."

"Zoe certainly is different from the way I thought he'd be," Usa admitted.

"Well, I told you looks can be decieving."

"I'll say." Usa agreed, "He's very unpredictable. He almost reminds me of Rei, in a way."

"Of Rei?" Mina asked, confused.

"Yeah," Usa continued, "They're both really hard to get to know. You always think what you're seeing is the truth, but there's so much going on behind the eyes - his eyes are just like hers."

"I've never noticed that," Mina conceded, puzzled.

"I don't know, there's just something about him that reminded me of Rei for a moment last night. Like a look or something. Makes me think that he hasn't had a lot of people on his side."

"Ha, well his brother is certainly on his side," Mina replied. The bitterness with which she uttered this caught Usa's ear.

"Are you sure you don't know them?" she asked, suspicious.

"No," Mina answered, resolutely, "Just acquaintances."

"So," she went on before Usa could ask anymore questions, "We have the whole day off - what do you want to do?"

There was a low growling noise. Usa blushed and Mina burst into laughter.

"Alright, food it is," she said.

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me here," Setsuna said, crossing her long legs and taking a drag on her cigarette. She was careful to blow the smoke upwind of Mamoru who was sitting across from her.

"Thank you," he replied, "It's been a while since I met anyone for lunch without it being business related."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Setsuna ground the cigarette into the ashtray of the small iron-work table. The breeze wafted through the street and under the overhang of the restaurant, fluttering the table cloth.

"So, I understand you've had a rough morning?" She continued, giving him a wry smile.

"Yes, in so many words." Mamoru stirred his hot tea and let the spoon rest on the saucer.

"Well, I did try to warn you," Setsuna reminded him, "But you didn't let me finish."

"Yeah, what was that all about?" Mamoru continued, frowning behind his sunglasses.

"Let me guess," Setsuna began, "I'll bet the scenario went something like this: You probably said something about her ex-fiance, and she probably blew up, and you then lost your temper and told her what you really think...am I close?"

Mamoru raised his hands to clap softly.

"I don't know how you do it," he said, "But you're more or less right. What should I have done?"

"Well, first, you shouldn't have mentioned the fiance."

"I can understand why it would be a tender subject but - really - that much?" His tone was utterly disdainful.

Setsuna's face grew serious.

"Yes it is a tender subject, as you so charmingly put it. The facts of the matter are that, while she was still in high-school, Usa and her boyfriend, whose name I will neglect to mention, decided to get married. Usa went against her parents' wishes, and her friends, and actually dropped out of school to marry him. She then spent half a year with him, unmarried, supporting him while he started a trio with some friends and finished school - and when he made it big he dropped her."

"Ouch."

"Precisely."

"But," Mamoru began, "After all - she didn't have to do all that. She could have looked out for herself a bit more, right? I mean don't you think it's kind of stupid to do all of that for a guy who doesn't appreciate it? She would've had to have known."

"You don't understand the way she thinks," Setsuna informed him, calmly.

"No argument there," he returned, flatly.

Setsuna stifled a laugh.

"For anyone that she loves, and believe me, she loves just about everyone she meets," Setsuna smiled as she explained, "Usa will do anything. Even if it is completely detrimental to her own interests she will do it if she thinks it will help the other person. She's so trusting."

"But that only causes trouble," Mamoru argued, his frown deepening, "That means that the people who care about her have to watch her suffer."

Setsuna sat back and gazed at him. He suddenly wondered if he'd said more than he should.

"Yes," she replied, her smile curving up, "that's true. Maybe you do understand after all."

Mamoru cleared his throat and loosened his tie a bit.

"Anyway," he said, "I can see why I definitely shouldn't have said what I said."

"Oh, I don't know," Setsuna replied, "Knowing you it was both piercingly true and from the heart. Even if it hurt her, she'll probably appreciate the moment of clarity it affords her."

"How do you know so much?" he asked, suddenly.

"I've just been around a little longer than you have," she answered, "When you're my age, you'll understand."

"Not to be rude, but you aren't more than a year older than I am, Sets."

She simply smiled at him.

"Aren't you?" he asked, beginning to doubt himself.

"Well, it's not nice to ask a lady her age, is it?"

"No." Mamoru eyed her askance as he sipped his tea.

"Tell me," Setsuna said, as she watched him drink, "Did you know that Usa was the little girl you used to play with before you saw her -"

Mamoru nearly blew all of the tea out of his mouth and onto the table cloth.

"Or did you figure it out after you spent the night with her?"

He blinked at her, then gaped down at the soiled table cloth. He took a napkin and cleaned his face, his hand and the cup and finally placed the napkin over the tea stain. Taking a breath he removed his sunglasses slowly and asked:

"How could you possibly know that?"

Setsuna merely watched him with immense satisfaction.

"I guessed," she said, "You told me about her once, while we were in high-school, remember?"

"See, I knew you were a year older than me!" He exclaimed.

"I haven't changed much, have I?" she asked, slyly.

Again doubt set in and he felt very troubled.

"No," he conceded, "You haven't...what exactly -"

"So to get back to it," she interrupted smoothly, "When did you recognize her?"

"Uh...well, to be honest...I knew it was her all along. Before she spilled the wine on me. That's why I was so... angry..."

His ears were now a bit red.

"Really?" Setsuna definitely resembled a cat at this point. A very pleased cat.

"Come on," he added defensively, "Who else has hair like that? Of course she invented it herself - even before the big Sailor Moon craze - no one else would be daft enough to keep it like that into adulthood. I recognized her the instant I saw her on television."

"I see. So you recognized her hair style?"

"And her eyes," he snapped, "They are ridiculously large - like a cow's. And her silly expressions. And the way she makes a mess of things - especially in public."

"You've liked her for quite a long time, haven't you?"

"What?" Mamoru halted in his tirade and blanched.

"No," he stuttered, "No, it's not like that. She was just a...playmate."

"Hm."

"Anyway," he continued, smoothing his tie, "She obviously doesn't remember, so it really doesn't matter."

"Doesn't it? I wonder." Setsuna mused.

Mamoru cleared his throat, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Well, it's a small world," Setsuna said, at last, "I'm glad you have more than just me now."

"What do you mean?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Well, you said I was your only real friend. But now that you've met Usa again, you have two."

"I'd hardly call our relationship a friendly one."

"No, maybe not," she answered, placidly, "But sometimes it takes a while to get back into the swing of things."

"You know sometimes I have no idea what on earth you're talking about, Sets."

"Well, that's alright," she told him, "Most people don't."

There was a brief, and for Mamoru, an awkward silence as the waiter came with their checks.

"Well, this was fun. I look forward to our next encounter," Setsuna said, standing.

"Yeah, me too."

Mamoru stood and pocketed his wallet, slipping his sunglasses back on his nose.

"Do you -" he began, then stopped. Setsuna shouldered her purse and answered:

"Yes."

"How did you know what I was -"

"You wanted to ask me if I thought the two of you might ever be friends again," she answered, "And if you'll remember what I told you about the way Usa treats her friends - you'd already have known the answer."

Mamoru blinked.

"See you tomorrow!" She called.

"Tomorrow?" he asked. Just to check, he pulled out his date book and flipped through the pages. There was no appointment with Setsuna or any of the girl band members tomorrow. He looked up and scratched his head, then looked back down again. From the back of the book he pulled out a crushed and dried flower - a rose - and looked at it for a moment. Then he replaced it and went on his way.


	10. Chapter 10

**

* * *

**

**AN:**Thank you to Faerie Fury for the review. I am really glad that you find the story unpredictable - that's what I've been going for so that makes me very happy to hear. Hope it continues to be unpredictable.

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

"Who the hell are all these people?" Mako asked.

She was standing outside the Chinese restaurant Nolan had designated for them to eat at that evening. It was surrounded by a bevy of young women (and some not so young) all eying each other with hostility.

Nolan's car approached and he soon sprang out, sighting her almost immediately. Her heart gave a huge lurch as he smiled at her - but then her view was suddenly blocked by three women who had shoved their way in front of her.

"Uh, excuse me," she said, politely if slightly irritated, "I'm trying to get through -"

One of the women - with the face of a model - turned to look at Mako over her shoulder and smirked.

"Sorry, honey, you'll have to wait in line like everyone else."

She turned back to the assembling crowd around Nolan.

Mako opened her mouth to say something when she heard a weird cackle to her left.

"That's must be the newest one," she heard a blonde whisper to her neighbor (not a very discreet whisper).

"Her?" The other said, in a tone of disbelief.

"She looks fit, but she won't last long."

They both lost interest as soon as they caught sight of Nolan attempting to part the sea of women. They flagged him down with autograph requests, which he was too polite to refuse - though he pretended to be deaf to several in order to make the process go faster.

The chattering of the high pitched voices; the wandering hands that played over Nolan's arms and shoulders; and the occasional sneering glances that came her way were beginning to discomfit Mako - just slightly.

Cupping her hands around her mouth she shouted:

"Excuse me!!"

The group stopped as one and turned to look at her in amazement and ridicule.

"Thanks," she said, and started to make her way through the crowd. No sooner had the ladies realized her intentions then they started to giggle, sneer and even try to trip her on her way.

When she was almost to the front, a rather bold young woman grabbed Mako's arm.

"Who do you think you are?" she demanded.

"I don't think I'm anyone," Mako answered her, her tone a little lower than normal, "I'm Kino Mako, that's all."

"Big deal," the other woman said, her eyes narrowing as she recognized the singer.

Mako shrugged and started to move forward - she was only three women away from Nolan.

"Hey," the woman's friend said, grabbing Mako's other arm, "What do you think you're doing?"

Mako sighed. She deftly and quickly twisted the first young woman's forearm, breaking her hold and pushing her to the ground, while using her leg to trip the other.

Disregarding her skirts, Mako squatted beside them.

"That's Judo," she told them, "That's what I'm doing. And if you don't get the hell out of my sight in the next two seconds, I'll do it again."

They hurried up and away from her as fast as possible.

Mako looked up to see Nolan offering her a hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, smiling. Then she frowned.

"What's wrong?" he asked, oblivious to the ten pairs of eyes that gazed murderously upon where Mako's hand rested in his.

"I think I tore my hose," she said, flushing a little.

He pretended to look very gravely at the hose while minutely examining her legs.

"I think you could go without," he suggested, "You have amazing legs. Have I told you that?"

Mako blushed scarlet and hit him lightly with her purse.

"You are such a ladies' man," she hissed. He laughed at her modest embarrassment and tucked her hand in the crook of his arm.

"Let's eat," he said, "I'm starving."

He looked down at her as he finished this statement, and there was a slight look in his eye that made Mako blush again.

"Just kidding," he murmured soothingly, and lightly kissed her hand.

"Hmph." Mako replied. But she smiled to herself when she thought he couldn't see it. The uneasiness caused by the fans' remarks was almost forgotten during the rest of her date. She resolved to ask Mina for some advice about how to handle what little was left lurking in the corners of her heart.

* * *

"_And another thing..."_ Mina sang, gripping the microphone like a life-line. She was in rare voice during this recording session. It was too bad there was no one around to hear it.

_"Like Lucasta, I'm still waiting..."_

She could feel her heart hammering as she sang - she'd never been this emotional about a song before.

"_Honor isn't worth the breath it takes to say -"_

She took a deep breath and suddenly stopped. The pre-recorded music kept playing, but Mina was frozen watching the figure back lit by the hall lights, standing just behind the glass windows of the recording studio.

Her eyes narrowed and she slid the microphone back into the stand with a satsifying click. The music stopped by itself as a man entered the room, fumbling open the door.

Her hair was a mess today; she'd rushed to the studio that morning and demanded a spot, regardless of who was booked. She had pulled her hair into a sloppy bun, jumped into a long t-shirt and board shorts, with accompanying flip-flops. Little make-up, and not much sleep, left her looking tired but her natural vivacity made up for most of this neglect.

Her eyes coldly met the green eyes of the man who entered the studio. When he saw her he stopped abruptly. Zoe had just finished his third unsuccessful wooing of Ami Mizuno - and he was feeling a little odd. Mina was the last person he wanted to see before he got himself together.

"I'm sorry," he began, eying her warily, as though he wasn't sure if she was going to attack him, "They said we had the place to ourselves today."

Mina watched him silently, then, without taking her eyes off of him, she bent to pick up her bag and sweatshirt.

"As you can see," she said, quietly, "You have it to yourself. As usual."

She meant that to be all, but she couldn't help giving him a swift, and angry, glance as she passed him.

"Mina," he said, not looking at her.

She paused, not turning around.

"I'm sorry," he said, at last.

Mina stood still.

"I've been wanting to tell you that for a while now."

"Is that so?" she asked.

He turned around, his eyes and face uncharacteristically desperate.

"Yes," he said, "I know I've been acting like an ass lately. It wasn't my choice -"

"You're choice!?" Mina retorted, spinning on her heel to face him, her eyes suddenly blazing.

"Maybe you'd better think that phrase through," she suggested, "Because there are a lot of things I've been meaning to say to you for a very long while."

His face fell a little.

"Mina, really," he pleaded, "I didn't know anything about you two - if I'd known, I never would have -"

"Never would have what, Zoe?" she demanded, backing him into the room with her eyes.

"If you'd known that I was dating your brother - that we were in love -" she pronounced painstakingly, "Then you wouldn't have done something so incredibly stupid that you nearly got your brother killed?"

Zoe's eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty - her anger, which he'd never seen before - overwhelmed him.

"The attention grabbing stunts you've pulled - the things you say - because you are so scared and weak inside," she said, jabbing him with her words, "You wouldn't have done those things - you wouldn't have been a coward - you're saying that all your insecurities and vanity would have disappeared if you'd known that Kip and I liked each other? Wasn't that the very thing that made you pull that stunt? Your fear that you might be left alone?"

"No - it wasn't like that," he said, though he knew she was partially right, "I wanted you to be together."

"You just wanted Kip to yourself a little bit more, though. That's nice, Zoe," she answered, "It's nice to know you can be so considerate."

Zoe seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, feeling guilty and threatened. Fear won out. His eyes narrowed and he stood as tall as he could - the familiar sneer played across his face.

"Selfish, am I? Well that's good, coming from you," he answered, "It was your little affair that got him fired in the first place. As far as I can see you're the same as -"

As soon as the words left his lips he realized he'd gone too far. Mina almost seemed as if she had transformed into a different being - her eyes flashed gold, and he could feel the air around him heating slightly.

"Don't you dare to say that to me," she said softly, teeth clenched. Her face was now inches from his and he felt very scared even as he looked down at her terrifying and captivating gaze.

"You have no idea what it means to love someone - you can't even get past your own insecurities to love yourself," she went on, "I understand you - it's because I know what you've been through that I can forgive any 'problems' you've caused me - but him-"

"Don't think I haven't kept count of what crap your selfishness has pulled down on his head," she went on, "I have - every single stupid thing you've done that he's had to cover for - every mess you've made that he's had to clean up - I remember all of them, Zoe. I don't care what your excuses are, they mean next to nothing compared with him."

Zoe couldn't speak or tear his gaze away from her. The heat, passion and fury that rolled off of her was almost palpable - and yet, perversely, it brought to mind his brother's cold, distant, pleasant face which often looked like a porcelain mask. It also brought to mind Ami's similar expression - impassive, disinterested. Something in him began to shift, ever so slightly.

"I know that I've hurt him," he whispered, suddenly, almost involuntarily. He wasn't really sure what he was saying - but he felt for the first time that he was speaking to another human being as himself.

"I know that I've h-hurt you," he continued, "I just - I wish it would stop. I never meant to be like this."

Mina's eyes didn't budge from his, instead she seemed to hold him even more tightly.

"Then stop," she answered.

Zoe licked his lips, trying to make his dry mouth and numb mind work. Mina only watched his eyes - waiting.

"I...don't know how." he said at last.

Mina stared at him for a long moment, and he watched, fascinated, as her flushed face gradually gained a startling vulnerability. Her proud eyes grew pleading - it was far more humiliating to him than her ranting had been.

"Please," she murmured.

Zoe continued to stare, like an idiot.

Finally he shook his head in helplessness. Mina's face almost crumpled for a brief second, but she held it together.

She abruptly turned on her heel and nearly walked into the solid chest of Kip as he stood behind them, unobserved.

Mina looked up into his face, her own showing a stunned look of confusion. Kip's face, in contrast to the other two, was calm, clear and composed.

"Hello, Mina." He said.

For a moment Mina couldn't think of how to answer even such a simple greeting. The years of frustration and bitter resentment were crowding her mind - the passion and anger were crowding her heart. She felt as if her insides were going to explode from the unremitting rebellion. She couldn't control herself any longer. It was going to break free - even though she knew that it would be a total disaster. She met his eyes.

"Do you love me?" She asked.

Kip, as she could have predicted, didn't even flinch. All he did was stare at her for a moment longer than necessary - while she stared back at him with an expression which was growing pathetically desperate.

"I think it's time that we started practice," he began.

"I should leave," Zoe began simultaneously.

"No!"

They both halted at Mina's shout. Zoe looked nervously between the two of them - Mina's proud and rigid back, and Kip's smooth, unperturbed face.

"Mina, I don't think you're feeling well," Kip said at last; "You look tired."

Mina brushed a hand that was shaking slightly across her eyes.

"I am tired," she answered to the floor. Her voice had a slight tremor.

Zoe watched his brother watching Mina. He saw, for a moment, something flit across Kip's face that ruffled the surface of that placidity. Almost unconsciously Kip's hand slowly moved toward her.

Zoe held his breath as he saw the longing look that was stealing very stealthily, almost noticeably, into his brother's eyes. He doubted if anyone else would have caught it - but it shocked him more than would any outburst of Nolan's or biting remark of Jude's, or any hateful silence of Mamoru's.

He also saw Mina's shoulders tremble gently.

In that moment he wished he were gone - out of the picture the two of them ought to have made - he didn't belong there. He made a step and had the misfortune to trip over a cord.

Like breaking a spell, Kip's hand and eyes recoiled from Mina and he made a step toward Zoe, who had already caught himself against the wall. It took less than a moment, but the damage seemed irreparable to him.

He watched Mina's shoulders cease their trembling and straighten. He watched as the longing look in Kip's eyes turned to one of confusion, and then to serene calm.

"I'm...so tired." Mina said, quietly. Her voice was steady - but the tone sounded as decisive as a bolt locking.

Zoe wanted to scream for her to wait, but he couldn't say a word. She looked up and shouldered her bag, then walked out of the studio and didn't spare either of them a parting glance.

Zoe and Kip watched her go in silence.

_"Aren't you going to go after her?"_ he wanted to ask. But he was afraid. Ami's blue eyes came to his mind - her cool, uncompromising gaze seemed to convict him.

_"Don't you hate me?"_ pounded inside his chest as he looked up at his brother's remote profile. Kip turned toward him and smiled.

_I'm sorry, Mina._ Zoe thought as he looked in his brother's face. It was full of affection and concern - there was not even the slightest trace of anger, resentment or even frustration.

"Are you alright?" He heard Kip ask - his voice sounded distant - as distant as his eyes always were - but they hadn't always been that way.

Somehow, in that moment, something inside Zoe snapped. The wire that tickled him and plagued him and even tortured him at times, had finally come undone.

"I'm quitting," he said to himself.

Kip seemed, at first, not to understand.

Zoe met his eyes, and smiled in half-bewildered manner.

"I quit," he repeated. A sudden and euphoric feeling of power and confidence, unlike anything he'd ever known, flooded through him.

He turned his back on his brother and began to walk out of the studio, stopping when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Kip asked - his voice sounded disturbed and alarmed.

Slowly, deliberately, Zoe put his hand on his brother's and said:

"Let go."

Kip stared at him with something akin to real shock. Zoe lifted his hand off of his shoulder, gently. Without turning around he resumed walking.

"I'm going to get some air," he called, "Don't worry."

"But -"

"Just let me go."

He turned as he reached the end of the hall. Kip stared at him, his long frame standing tall and erect, but his hand was clutching the door frame.

"You can't -" Kip began, his tone rumbling with the faint beginnings of anger.

"Yes, I can. I should have a long time ago. In Tokyo. Goodbye."

"Wait -"

"Kip," he called, just as he reached the corner.

"You ought to be honest with yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, you always choose me. Not her. But I'm telling you that I'm not your concern any more."

That effectively halted Kip mid stride.

"You're my brother," Kip said, quietly - his lips were almost wincing.

"I know," Zoe answered, feeling a sudden pang of remorse for what was to come.

"I made that decision a long time ago."

"I think you made the wrong decision."

"I promised I'd never leave you alone again," Kip shouted, suddenly losing his control. It startled Zoe for a moment, but he didn't come any closer to Kip.

"I know," he answered, quietly, "But I don't need you anymore."

Kip let out a sharp breath.

He and Zoe stood facing each other across the long hallway - their bodies in almost identical attitudes of strain.

"You're leaving?" Kip asked, at last.

Zoe nodded.

"For how long?"

"Just a little while. A week, maybe. We both need to think some things through."

Kip eventually nodded.

"If you need anything -" he began.

"It's my turn to take care of you," Zoe interrupted, his shy grin returning.

"What?"

"I'm taking care of you," Zoe repeated, "Well...I'm giving you to someone who will."

Kip blinked.

"Just think about it," Zoe replied, "Think like me, for once. Think selfishly."

Kip shook his head, and watched, trying not to panic, as his little brother rounded the corner - out of his sight.

"Think selfishly?" He repeated. He looked down at his hand and flexed it as the scent of honeysuckle swept through the hall - or his memory - it was hard to figure out which it was - until he looked down and realized that there was a golden hair on his shirt. He picked it off and stared at it with a rueful expression.

He looked down again at the scar that ran from the inside of his thumb to his inner arm.

"Hmph."

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

Kip looked around him at the three faces filled with shock, dismay and slight annoyance.

"So we have no lead singer, is what you're saying?" Jude clarified.

"In so many words," Kip answered.

He uncrossed his arms and tried to regain his famous calm.

"For how long?" Nolan rejoined. He was looking the angriest of the three, having had to cancel his date to hear about the change in their band numbers.

Kip shrugged.

"Possibly a week -"

"Well that's not -" Jude began.

"Or possibly much longer."

Jude and Nolan wore almost identical scowls on their faces. Mamoru gave a self-satisfied 'hmph'.

"Well I can't say I'm really that surprised," he commented.

Kip's hand twitched slightly as he stared at Mamoru's dark glasses.

"Sounds like another stunt in the Zoe Greene repertoire," Mamoru went on, " I think if I were you, I'd make this the last one."

Kip gave the barest of nods and folded his teacherous hand under the other one, tight across his chest.

"Brother or no brother," Jude spoke up, "This is just ridiculous. I mean, we really can't rely on a guy who just decides to run off whenever he feels like it."

"I understand," Kip said. He straightened and took a piece of paper out of his inner jacket pocket. Flipping it open in one smooth gesture he placed it in front of them.

"That's why I'm officially resigning as your manager."

Three pairs of eyes blinked at him.

"Oh, now wait a damn minute!" Nolan began, looking at Jude with desperation.

"What are we supposed to do -" Jude began.

"Typical." Was all Mamoru had to say, and yet Kip had the odd sensation that Mamoru was the angriest of the three.

"Let me explain," he said above them, in his low, steady voice.

"This may not come as a shock to any of you," he said, slowly pulling out a pen and putting x's by certain lines on the contract:

"But I've never really had any interest in the music or entertainment business."

"No, really?" Mamoru asked, sarcastically.

"No," Kip answered him, staring at him for a moment - all that was needed for Mamoru to wipe the sarcastic look off his face. He then cleared his throat and adopted a more serious expression and Kip went back to looking at the contract.

"My interest has always been in the law," Kip resumed, smoothly, "I was in law enforcement and was once employed as a bodyguard to a certain young performer who'd had a problem with over-exuberant fans."

Jude suddenly looked much sharper, like a dog scenting the air.

"Bodyguard, for whom?" he asked.

"I was coming to that part," Kip answered, putting his pen away.

"You've all met Miss Aino."

"Her?" Jude and Nolan gasped at once. Even Mamoru looked a little surprised.

"Yes," Kip answered, unperturbed, "I was Miss Aino's bodyguard five years ago. That's where I met you, Mr. Chiba."

Mamoru looked very startled at this point. He took of his glasses to stare at Kip with extreme misgivings.

"Damn."

Kip smiled for the first time that day.

"Yes, well, it took me quite a long time to recognize you again. I know what kind of company you were contracted to, which was why I was convinced that it couldn't be you."

"So you know...," Mamoru asked.

"That you must have broken your contract and are probably now in a great deal of debt? So much so that you'd probably be either arrested or sued or both should your whereabouts be released to that company? Yes, I deduced that much."

Mamoru looked pale, but resolute.

"If you knew what kind of people they really are you wouldn't -" he began.

"Oh, I know what kind of peope they are," Kip informed him with a little laugh, "Probably better than you do. The head of that company also has mob and yakuza affiliations, so it isn't just a question of Japanses law you'd be facing if you returned."

"So you do know everything. What are you going to do about it?" Mamoru asked - his body language expressed a clear intent to fight.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Mamoru repeated, confused.

"It's none of my business, is it?" Kip pointed out with an innocent look. Mamoru frowned.

"Nothing gets you nothing," he said finally.

"We aren't going to squeal on you," Jude spat, finally annoyed into speaking.

"What kind of people do you take us for?" he added, frowning at Mamoru. To his surprise the other man merely continued to look at him as if he was having trouble understanding Jude.

"So you don't...want anything?" He asked, at last.

"What? Your glasses? Your jacket? Your pissy attitude?" Jude shot back, "You must really have a low opinion of us."

Mamoru winced and swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry...," he said, "I just...I'm not used to this. To people who wouldn't want to take advantage of a situation like this."

"You need to get out more, buddy," Jude said, shaking his head - insults forgotten.

"It's called a 'friend', Mamoru," Nolan put in.

Mamoru coughed, unsure of how to express his emotions in this situation. They let it go at that.

"But what I want to know is, if you had such a cushy job guarding Hot Stuff," Jude continued, addressing Kip, "Then why'd you give it up?"

"There was an...indicent."

Jude looked merely skeptical - but Nolan seemed to have another moment of rare intuitive clarity.

"You were in love with her," he said, bluntly.

Kip didn't blush, or even look remotely embarrassed - but Jude did both.

"Isn't that a little taboo?" He asked, half-jokingly, "As well as cliche."

"I thought you did," Mamoru told Kip, quietly.

Kip looked at him and finally gave a shrug.

"Against my better judgement," he admitted, "She and I began pursuing a relationship."

"You have a very clinical way of phrasing things," Jude complained.

"It's just the way I am."

"Makes him a good cop," Nolan explained to his better half, "No irrational judgements. Keeps things unbiased and dispassionate. That's his logical function coming out."

"Thank you, Myers-Briggs." Jude commented, flatly.

Nolan shrugged and turned his attention back to Kip.

"What happened?" He asked the older man.

Kip gave a short little sigh.

"Well, first the manager found out - this was before Setsuna Meioh was managing Mina's career - and I was given the choice to resign from my post or -"

"Or?" Jude demanded.

"To quit the relationship."

"And of course you chose to -"

"To quit my post as Mina's bodyguard."

Everyone seemed a bit taken aback.

"Really?" Jude asked, "I thought for sure you would have said -"

"I'm a human being, not a machine," Kip said, giving Jude a world-weary look:

"I loved my work -"

"But you loved Mina more," Nolan finished with an understanding nod. He turned to Jude.

"You see this is something you and he have in common," he explained, "you both have introverted feeling functions, which means that you tend to come off as having no emotions when in fact you -"

"Would you stop it already?! You aren't a psychologist for crying out loud."

Nolan gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Moron," Jude muttered.

"Please continue," Mamoru told Kip.

"I was going to tell her on the last day of her shoot for a film - but then - unfortunately, Zoe had a slight breakdown."

"Oh, this is good," Mamoru commented.

"Breakdown?" Jude repeated.

"My parents," Kip explained, "have been divorced for quite a long time - since Zoe's birth, actually. My father was unfaithful to my mother, and that resulted in Zoe who was adopted into the family after his mother died when he was five. It was a rough transition - after I left for college I believe things grew very bad in the house. When I came back Zoe was twelve and already showing signs of extreme mental and emotional stress. The housekeeper my father employed to take care of us treated him like an outcast because of his parentage."

"So that's why he acts like a nut case." Jude commented.

Kip frowned but let it pass.

"In so many words."

"So she ignored him because his mom wasn't married to your dad," Mamoru said, "I don't see how that justifies his generally shitty attitude."

Kip rubbed a hand through his hair. He hadn't meant to open up so completely to the rest of the men, but now that he had gone so far, he felt there was no way to end without telling them everything.

"She didn't just ignore him. She forced him to stay in the garage, and he wasn't allowed to take meals in the main house, or to be in the house for any reason other than when my father occasionally came for a visit and asked to see him - which wasn't very often. She also allowed him to be beaten up by her own son, and when he eventually fought back she punished him in the cruelest ways she could imagine. Fortunately she wasn't gifted with a stellar imagination - but still...she also didn't enroll him in school until my father found out about it and forced her to - and by that time he was almost too old to start."

"Did your Dad not think that maybe she ought to be fired?" Jude asked, incredulously.

"My father is a good man," Kip said, wearily, "But he is oblivious of everything except his work. After my mother left him he had no interest in anything else."

"What happened to Zoe?" Nolan asked.

"When I saw him again he had changed almost completely into a different person," Kip continued, "He had been a timid kid, shy and very, very smart - and also very soft-hearted. But when I came back from school I found him paranoid, defensive - even aggressively hostile at times - and his emotions were out of control. It took me nearly a year to get him to trust me, and it didn't hurt that I fired the housekeeper the second day I was home."

"He was getting better until I took the job with Mina. Then the day I was going to quit my job, he broke onto the set and tried to burn the place down. It was an accident," Kip added, "I don't think he meant to hurt anyone. But obviously it meant that everything was over."

"What did you do?" Mamoru asked.

"I realized that Zoe needed real help, so I packed us up and moved to America - and Zoe got a job modeling which turned into commercials which somehow became all this," Kip finished, his looking taking in the recording studio.

"I feel sorry for the little bastard," Nolan said, and they were surprised and discomfited to see him looking genuinely upset.

"It's sad, but that kid's got to get over it," Jude opined, "The sooner the better."

"It's not that easy," Mamoru argued, softly. The looked at him in surprise.

"You're the last person I'd expect to sympathize with Zoe," Jude observed.

Mamoru shrugged.

"I can understand it," he said, "It's not easy to forgive people."

There was a brief silence as each was lost in his thoughts.

"So," Kip said, at last, "Now you know everything. I hope you can understand and forgive us for the trouble we've caused you up to this point."

"No worries," Jude said, looking at Nolan. They smiled.

"We always knew this was going to be a bumpy ride," he went on, "Zoe just made it a little more interesting, that's all."

"But what are you going to do now?" Mamoru asked them, "If Zoe doesn't come back then your careers as musicians will be seriously hampered."

Jude and Nolan looked at one another and then looked back at the other men.

"We never had a plan," Nolan began, "We just decided that this is what we wanted to do and that we wanted to do it together. We've been down and out before, if it happens again - we'll find a way out of it."

"We always do," Jude added, a trifle sardonically.

"If there is anything I can do," Kip spoke up, "Let me know. I have a lot of contacts and I haven't publicly announced my retirement, so -"

"Yeah, yeah," Jude interrupted, "Thanks. But don't be so hasty - Zoe hasn't said he's quitting for good."

"That's true," Kip replied, but he didn't look very hopeful.

"You'd like it to be over, wouldn't you?" Nolan asked, suddenly.

Kip glanced at him in surprise.

"This last five years - it's been an unholy strain on you, hasn't it?"

"I think you're exaggerating, but -"

"No, I think I'm not," Nolan countered, "I really think it's been harder for you than for anyone else. Me and Jude, we're doing what we love. Zoe's getting a lot of people who are crazy about him for a change - and Mamoru's got a perfect cover - but you...you're stuck doing something you don't even enjoy, and forced to watch your girl move on without you - and all the while you've had to pretend like it didn't matter."

Kip said nothing.

"I'm right, huh?"

Nolan stood up and gently pushed Jude toward the door.

"Resignation accepted," Nolan announced, "We're all set to change career paths mid stride, I think. But there's something more important to deal with right now. Get out of here, Judy."

Jude gave his friend an inquisitive look but knew better than to argue when Nolan was in this particular mood. He nodded to Kip and shook his hand.

"I'll be sorry to see you go," he said, "I really liked working with you."

"Same here," Kip answered with a genuine smile.

Mamoru simply bowed to Kip, who returned the bow with a deeper tilt.

"Thanks."

Kip smiled at him too, and Mamoru blushed, scowled and kept walking.

After they'd left, Nolan crossed the room to Kip and slowly leaned against the table beside him, crossing his arms.

"So you know what I'm going to ask you?"

"No idea," Kip stated, honestly.

"Hmm. Well, here goes then. What are you going to do about Mina?"

Kip was silent for a moment, and looked down at his hand.

"I always meant to ask you how you got that," Nolan commented, looking at the scar on Kip's arm.

"Judy and me decided it must have been in a fight with a rival gang in your pre-school."

When Kip finished laughing at this, Nolan pinned him with a serious smile.

"Well," Kip admitted, "Nothing as exciting as that."

"You got it protecting her, didn't you?"

Kip smiled and nodded, almost embarrassed.

"One particular fan of hers," he recounted, "A very misguided young man who was in love with her - a fellow actor, actually - new to the business. She told him 'no' one too many times and he came after her with a knife. I think he just meant to scare her - but he should have known better."

"You were there," Nolan suggested.

"No," Kip's smiled played across his face, "He should have known better than to tackle Mina that way. I was only the first line of defense. Mina's actually Mina's best bodyguard. She is the only person she really needs."

His smile had faded. Nolan pondered this for a moment.

"I wonder if that's true," he observed, "I think even someone like Mina needs someone to protect her - even if it's just from herself."

Kip made a non-comittal noise and Nolan sighed.

"Just think about it," he said. He was almost to the door, when Kip cleared his throat.

"Zoe told me something...strange..." he began, uncertainly, "He said I ought to be selfish."

Nolan slowly smiled.

"How do I do that?" Kip wondered, "What did he mean?"

"Well, what do you want?"

Kip pondered a moment, then opened his mouth.

"No, don't tell me," Nolan interrupted, laughing.

"I think it means," he continued, after a moment, "That he's going to be alright by himself. And he wants to make sure you will be too."

Kip continued to stare at the ground in thought.

Nolan stretched suddenly and yawned.

"Don't worry about it," he said, "Just make sure you don't let me down."

Kip looked at him questioningly.

"In case you haven't realized," Nolan explained, patiently, "I'm a romantic - and I don't like being disillusioned. Now, if you'll excuse me - I have a date to make up with the love of my past, present and future lives."

With that he loped out of the studio and Kip merely shook his head.

After a moment of intense thought, he looked down at his cell phone, and started to dial a number.

* * *

"Oh, thanks so much for meeting me like this, Mina," Mako began, when she was interrupted by her phone. Mina smiled inspite of her sleepiness and waited as Mako answered it.

After her confrontation with Zoe and Kip, she'd decided to retire from the field of battle with grace and dignity. Which was why, when she'd reached her hotel room she'd grabbed a box of tissues, another box of ice cream, her favorite blanket, movie and stuffed cat doll, and curled up on the gorgeous purple plush fainting couch to cry her eyes out.

She had had a shower and was dressed in her most comfortable clothes - a white lace baby doll night gown top with daisy faces and worn grey cut-off sweat shorts (she'd lost the bottom to the nightgown some years ago - having first purchased it in middle-school). Her hair was also pulled into pigtails behind her ears and out of her face - no make up, red-eyes, and she was about to eat another tub of ice cream as soon as Mako left. She had pulled on a ratty, soft jacket for the sake of answering the door to Mako, but this was now discarded on the sofa.

"You do?" Mako was saying, in an excited voice, "Ok, I'll be there. No, it's alright. Really I didn't mind...yeah, come on Nolie - for real -"

"Nolie?" Mina mouthed to herself in disgust. Oh, how the mighty had fallen indeed.

She picked up her copy of Kill Bill and considered buying a katana and signing up for kendo lessons when she returned to Japan. She imagined, for a brief moment, what it would be like to become a fearless warrior - a tough woman who had renounced love for a higher calling - duty, justice, whatever, it didn't matter - she could see herself leading the noble life, and tears almost came to her eyes again.

"I am a rock," she chanted under her breath, "I am an island."

"What was that?" Mako asked.

"Nothing!," Mina declared, turning with a smile to her friend.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well," Mako blushed, and her voice became a bit gruffer, "It's about Nolan, actually."

"Boy problems?" Mina asked, with an air of archaic wisdom, "Tell me about it."

"Actually, it's girl problems."

"I don't follow."

"You see - there's always this group of girls hanging around Nolan wherever we go - like earlier today when we were about to eat lunch, and all the girls kept crowding around him and eventually I just had to knock some sense into them."

Mina nodded, eying Mako's clenched and deadly looking fists with some unease.

"But...do you think -" Mako continued, "I mean. I trust Nolan, but -"

"I see," Mina answered, "It's hard to have a popular boyfriend."

For a moment Mina simply sat on her couch and pondered. She opened her new tub of ice cream and ate a large globful of chocolate-strawberry.

"I think," she said around her mouthful, "That what you're doing right now is good - letting them know that Nolan is yours."

Mako nodded, hanging on Mina's every garbled word.

"You should continue to mark your territory, as it were," she ate another spoonful, "And you need to let Nolan know that you aren't sharing."

"How do I do that?"

Mako's big innocent eyes blinked at Mina.

"Well," she considered, slowly, "There are several ways - several methods to use in claiming him. It depends on the man, really."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for instance," Mina suggested, "If Nolan is more of a pushover, then you could just tearfully pour your heart out and tell him how you feel about it and he'd probably get a big ego trip out of that."

"Hmm." Mako didn't seem to relish this method.

"Then you could always threaten him," Mina went on, "Tell him forcefully that he's yours and if you see another girl - then he's dead and you're gone. That seems more your type."

To her surprise Mako seemed to waver.

"I like being honest," she admitted, "But I think being forceful with Nolan is too much - it's not very ladylike."

Mina's eyes bulged on the word 'ladylike' - she herself was often-times called 'girly' but 'ladylike' was far from her personal ideal - she had assumed that it was the direct opposite of Mako. Perhaps she had judge the Amazon wrongly.

"Lady-like," she repeated, "Ok, I'm not really good at that - but let me think..."

"If it were me, I'd just do something public - like slapping a really good kiss on him in front of all those ho-bags."

Mako blushed hotly at this suggestion and Mina quickly tossed it aside.

"Ladylike, ladylike," she murmured, "Seduction is out, then."

She chewed on her spoon and noticed Mako glance at the clock.

"Somewhere to be?"

Mako blushed again.

"I'm meeting him in a quarter of an hour - to make up for the rest of our date. He had to go to an emergency meeting."

"Weird, but ok."

"I've got it!" Mina snapped her fingers. Little drops of ice cream flew through the air and Mako narrowly avoided them.

"You should just calmly and maturely ask him to... define the relationship."

Mina smiled proudly.

Mako gulped.

"Isn't that the fastest way to lose a guy?" she asked, cautiously.

Mina's brows snapped together.

"Mako, are you kidding me? Where is your sense of uncompromising pride?" She demanded.

Mako looked comically embarrassed, and then quickly changed to eagerness.

"I'm proud," she insisted, "I just don't know a lot about dating. It's harder than fighting."

"It is fighting," Mina declared, "Love is a battle-ground! There are no rules - only kill and be killed."

"That doesn't really sound like what I had in mind," Mako admitted.

"Oh, little Mako-chan," Mina sighed, "How inoccent you are. But you'll learn."

"Can I borrow this CD sometime?" Mako asked, not really listening or noticing Mina's stoic pose.

"Huh? Sure."

"I think I'll just tell him how I feel," Mako frowned, "I don't know if that's right or not, but I'm better at being honest."

"Well, that what I was going to say anyway," Mina answered.

Mako's face cleared and she smiled her crooked smile.

"Great! Well, thanks Mina. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck?"

"Good luck, Mako-chan!" Mina yelled, flinging her icecream coated spoon into the air in her exuberance. Mako caught it for her and handed it back.

"Thanks."

"See you!"

Mako exited and Mina collapsed onto the couch. She pressed the 'play' button on her DVD remote and immediately the figures in _The Bodyguard from Beijing_ leaped to life. Mina also owned the American version of _The Bodyguard_, but she wasn't a fan of the music.

She began to dig into the ice-cream and gradually let the high-powered action sequence lead by Jet Li's fighting lull her to sleep.

She sighed, opened her eyes, and realized she'd been dozing on the movie set again. It was time for the big action scene in which she would have to wail pitifully until she could be rescued by the hero, lead actor and heart throb, Chiba Mamoru - whom she secretly detested. He was so cold that she had always been sure he would be lifeless on screen, and yet he always managed to pull off a brilliant performance, before lapsing back into apathetic frigidity.

She put her coffee down and looked at her hand. She had a small bandaid hidden on the inside of her wrist, where she'd been cut last night. Fortunately her costume covered this - otherwise she would have been in trouble - but she was more worried about her bodyguard at the moment than she was about herself.

What had caused the cut? Oh, it had been that weird stalker - Kaitou Ace - was that what he called himself? What a ridiculous name. And he had somehow managed to lie his way past security. If Gray-san hadn't been urgently needed in the next room, Mina would have asked him to get rid of Kaitou once and for all. But her flair for the theatrical and her overabundant self-confidence and imagaination had led her to the conclusion that if she allowed Kaitou a little lee-way she might engineer a real-life rescue that would finally force her stoic bodyguard to admit his feelings for her (of which, having absolutely no proof, she was of course certain).

But things didn't (as usual) go acording to plan. She had made it convincing enough that Kaitou had grown too cocky and ended up wounding Gray, and that had made her pissed off. In her anger she had given Kaitou a concussion and caused him to leave a nice long cut down Gray's arm. Gray had been released from the hospital three hours later with quite a few stitches and a rather permanent scowl in her direction.

Mina sighed again. Was she never to get him to like her? It did seem hopeless.

Suddenly he was there, standing over her, his face tilted down to look at her.

"Why are you sleeping here?" he asked.

She smiled.

"Why not?"

"You'll catch a cold or something," he answered in a disapproving tone.

Mina rolled her eyes.

Suddenly she felt something sticky on her cheek. She licked her lips and tasted chocolate.

"Hey, there's chocolate on my face," she told him, wonderingly.

"I know." He said, he seemed to be carrying her now.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You're sleeping in ice cream," he replied.

"What!?"

Mina opened her eyes with a little shout. As soon as she did she felt the arm that had been supporting her withdraw quickly. She blinked in the gathering dark and turned to see Kip bending beside the sofa, mopping the cushions with a wet rag.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, drowsily.

"Cleaning up the ice cream."

Mina looked at the couch and discovered that it was indeed covered in ice cream. She lifted a hand to her head and found that she was sticky.

"I'll be right back!" she said, and darted up, running to her room and the bathroom. Belatedly she stuck her head back into the living-room.

"You'll be here when I get back, right?" she asked.

Kip looked up at her from where he was kneeling and smiled.

"I'll be here," he promised.

Mina nodded, then popped her head back inside the room. About fifteen seconds later she popped her head around the door frame again.

"Cause I have a lot of things to discuss with you," she said and stared at him for a moment as if not really believing that he was there.

"I do too."

"Really?" She sounded nervous. She popped around the corner and then popped back.

He looked at her inquiringly.

"Just checking," she said.

Then she disappeared once more.

Kip chuckled to himself as he threw the sticky rag in the laundry hamper.


	12. Chapter 12

**

* * *

**

**AN:**

I've taken Valkyrie Celes' 'suggestion' to heart - , so she gets three chapters (mostly) for Mina and Kip (Kunz). I really don't give them enough screen time anyway - so they deserve it! Yay for long chapters.**

* * *

**

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

Jude watched the large fish with their bulbous eyes staring at him in the hotel fish tank.

He'd been waiting for nearly a quarter of an hour and had been staring at the fish for at least ten minutes.

Ugly things, he thought. Nothing attractive about something that was scaly and glassy-eyed.

"That's nature for you, I guess." he murmured to himself.

"What is?"

Jude shot up and twisted to look behind him.

Rei was standing there, cool as a cucumber, her simple black dress and wrap looking stylish and elegant as usual. He stood slowly and took in the sight, smoothing his grey tie.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked, politely.

He shook his head.

"Of course not. Are you ready?"

Rei hesitated and gave him a measuring, distrustful look.

"Where are we going?"

Jude smiled and motioned for her to proceed him out of the hotel lobby.

"It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises," she stated, flatly.

"I know," he countered, cheerfully, "But a little one every now and then is good for you."

Rei snorted but allowed him to maneuver her toward the waiting sleek silver car.

"What are they doing?" she asked, nervously, noticing the people staring at them.

"Don't be paranoid," he replied, throwing her a mischievous grin as he held the door.

"They aren't staring at us - I get this a lot. It's the car."

"What do you mean?"

His face suddenly assumed a smooth, seductive look, which he meant to be comical, but which, under the circumstances, was actually quite charming. Tilting his head back he grinned and leaned one elbow against the door of her car.

"It's the Aston Martin, my dear."

"What?"

He suddenly leaned in closer to her and she found herself catching her breath.

"For your eyes only, darling," he purred and kissed her hand.

Then he dropped it immediately, laughing.

"How was that?" he asked, leaning back and folding his hands.

"What?" Rei asked, dazedly. She shook her head and frowned.

"What? My Bond impression. Good huh?"

Rei merely stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"It's the car," Jude explained, patiently, "You know - Aston Martin DBS V12..."

He trailed off in shock at her bewildered expression.

"Come on," he insisted, "You have to know this - Casino Royale?"

"I don't gamble."

Jude threw his arms into the air and shut her door with an emphatic slam. Before Rei had time to even try to understand this puzzling response to her statement, he was beside her in the driver's seat, revving the engine. To her dismay they squealed out of the hotel drive and into the street with more than necessary flashiness.

"We are trying to deflect attention, you do remember that?" she asked, frostily.

Jude simply shook his head.

"What girl has never heard of James Bond?" He complained to himself.

Rei merely stared grimly ahead at the road.

"Rei Hino, that's who." She heard him mutter.

"I don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about."

"I know," he answered, "And that terrifies me."

Rei decided to ignore him until he could talk more rationally. They drove on in some silence until she was goaded by it to ask a question.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not telling."

"I refuse to be with you another moment if you don't -"

"Ah-ah-ah," Jude tsked, shaking his head as they rounded a street corner much too fast, "Remember our deal. You must enjoy yourself no matter what. I'm in charge of dates."

"Fake dates."

"A date is a date."

Jude executed a move that left Rei breathless and petrified as they screeched into the parking lot of a restaurant and somehow stopped in a parking spot that didn't seem possible to reach only two seconds early.

Jude switched the car off with a satisfied sigh and patted the steering wheel.

"Daddy loves you," he murmured under his breath.

Rei rolled her eyes and tried to clamor out of the vehicle while she could still walk. But Jude, faster than she would have thought possible, was already opening the door for her.

"My lady."

"Cut the crap," Rei suggested.

"Ouch."

He walked beside her with an easy gait, his waving hair fluttering off his brow. Several women turned to watch them, Rei noticed. She smirked to herself then stopped dead.

"Where have you brought me?" she found herself asking in a tone of utter dismay.

* * *

Ami, her hair pulled back with a zig zag headband, over-sized t-shirt and cheer-leading shorts borrowed from Mina engulfing her body, and glasses perched precariously on her nose, trotted to the door of her hotel room. She wasn't tall enough to comfortably make use of the eye-hole, but she judged from the sound of the wrap that the person on the opposite side was either female or very slight.

She opened the door and blinked.

"Hi, Zoe."

"Hey, Ami."

Zoe, with a small bag on his shoulder, stood outside the doorway - looking very unhappy.

"Would you like to come in?"

"Please."

Ami moved aside for him and closed the door behind him. She watched with great curiosity as Zoe dropped the bag on the floor in the hallway and then walked into the living room, plopping himself onto the couch. He took a moment to look around him and suddenly forgot his troubles.

The hotel room had undergone a drastic change since Ami had first been given the use of it by a neat and well-organized hotel manager. The curtains had been taken down from the gilded rods, every available chair or couch or table was covered with piles of library books; there was a portable dry erase board spanning the French windows that had numerous, unfathomable equations written on it in all colors, and the mattress from the master bedroom had been pulled into the living room to make a bed closer to the floor.

Zoe's gaze rested on it a moment longer than on anything else. Then he looked at Ami in modest inquiry.

"Oh, I'm used to futons," she explained.

"Of course you are." Zoe almost laughed. Ami regarded him for a moment with that look she wore when she found an interesting problem.

Suddenly she disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a mug of hot chocolate which she handed to Zoe before clearing a place for herself across from him.

"I love what you've done with the place," he commented.

"Thank you," she said, smiling. Sarcasm was usually lost on Ami anyway. It was one of the things about her that delighted Zoe, especially since he'd given up trying to flirt with her since his last failure.

"I'm having a bad day," he began.

"Yes, I thought so," Ami commented.

"I've -" he started, looking down at his chocolate for encouragement, then looked up again, smiling;

"I've run away."

Ami considered this for a moment.

"Why did you do that?"

"I don't know - it...it seemed like the thing to do at the time...and then I couldn't think of anywhere to come but here...," Zoe answered, setting the chocolate down on a small pile of books and dropping his head into his hands.

"Hm...why don't you tell me from the beginning," Ami suggested, settling herself into the chair and pausing only to dig out an extra pair of glasses that had been lost in the cushions and was poking her back.

"Well, that's an awful lot to tell," Zoe warned her, "Are you sure you really want to know?"

Ami smiled, folding her hands primly on her lap.

"I always want to know."

"I think it's better left unsaid."

Ami considered this as she rested her hand on her cheek.

"If it's because you had a quarrel with your brother," she said, "Then I think you should know he'll most likely forgive you if you ask."

Zoe shook his head in wonder.

"How did you know Kip is my brother?"

It was Ami's turn to look surprised.

"But it was easy," she explained, "You have a distinct family resemblance. Also, Mina let the cat out of the bag. But I already knew before that."

"Of course you did," Zoe chuckled, "One step ahead of me as usual."

"I try," Ami answered, and Zoe wondered whether or not she did understand sarcasm after all.

"Our dad had an affair when Kip was seven years old - and I was the end product. When my dad's wife found out she divorced him and moved out. But my father didn't actually acknowledge me until I was five - when my mother died."

Ami nodded, her serene blue eyes waited patiently for Zoe to continue.

"I moved in with my Dad, and...things were nice for those years - well," he interrupted himself, his expression turning darker, "at least, when Kip was home from school things were alright. But then when he left for college..."

Zoe stopped, involuntarily. He was about to tell her something he'd never acutally discussed with anyone but his brother. He took a deep breath.

"Our housekeeper thought that, since I wasn't legitimate, that I didn't deserve to be...to be -" He stopped. He just couldn't seem to continue telling her about this aspect of his life.

"You don't have to tell me right now. I think I understand," Ami said, quietly, watching him with her legs curled up under her like a wise little cat.

"I'm glad someone does," he said with a laugh and then quickly put his head back in his hands.

Ami watched him for some moments as he simply held his face in his hands and sat there. She noticed how thin his fingers were, and how tightly they clutched his ringlets of hair - they were white at the knuckles. She had also noticed the circles under his eyes as well as his unusual pallor - she had noticed these signs for some while.

After a little while of this, Zoe looked up and she pretended not to notice the redness in his eyes. She stood up from her chair and took his chocolate to the kitchen.

"I won't trouble you much longer," he called, "I just came by to...relax."

Honestly he wasn't sure why he had come to Ami's hotel room - it really had been the only idea that seemed clear enough to follow since he'd left the recording studio that morning. Had it only been two days? It felt like months already. Involuntarily he thought of Kip and wondered for the thousandth time if he had done the right thing.

Then Mina's face came to mind - the desperate look she'd worn just before Kip interrupted their argument. No, he had done the right thing - it just felt wrong.

He sighed and started to get up when he heard the soft swish of fabric as Ami padded past him to the back of the room. He was about to speak when he heard a rich, tinkling sound. It almost took him a full second to realize what the pleasant sound was: Ami was playing the piano.

He slowly sat back against the cushions and listened. The tune seemed light-hearted, but underneath it was a slight sense of sadness - like a sprinkle of rain on an otherwise sunny day. It began light and as he listened it slowly grew richer and deeper, with a fuller sound each time the same strain was repeated. As she played the hidden complexity of the music began to reveal itself. It became increasingly lovelier and also sadder.

He had heard Ami play on stage, and could tell she was very good. But he had never actually heard her perform something like this - something that truly allowed her to show the full extent of her ability. She really was a genius.

He closed his eyes almost without realizing it and let his head rest on the back of the couch. The music floated around in his mind, making him feel at ease - and also - strangely - as if he were simultaneously being listened to in return. It was as though Ami was reading him like a piece of music, and the music she was playing was him.

Zoe listened on and on the very last notes of the piece, which twinkled down a minor spiral and then ended in a somber, yet finely high pitched chord, he drifted into a peaceful sleep. The first he'd had in a long time.

Ami sat on the bench for a long time after the last chord had died and simply stared at the keys. In her mind was only silence. She brought her hands in front of her face and looked at them, almost hesitantly, turning them until her palms faced her, and then the backs of her hands. She started to frown, her lips tightening. She suddenly itched to get away from the piano and hide it under the curtains she'd torn down, once more. Sometimes she couldn't stand the sight of it - other times it made her urge to play it almost inescapable - which frightened her. It wasn't a natural urge, but rather a compulsion inured since childhood when her mother had insisted she practice until every note was perfect. Until every grade was perfect and every kanji correct. Until her English pronunciation was better than a native's. Until her test scores were beyond any former expectations.

Looking at the cold, hard, white piano keys she saw her mother's face. She shivered and closed the instrument.

The snap of the piano cover and the rustle of the curtains as she hastily pulled them over the instrument moderately roused Zoe from his slumber. He made an odd mumbling noise, then his head lolled back onto the couch once more.

Cautiously, Ami approached him and looked down at his face. She noted with a practiced eye (her father had taught her how to look at a subject as a piece of art) Zoe's flawless bone structure, long lashes and sensitive mouth. He really was almost too pretty - she thought, and wondered vaguely what his mother had looked like - she must have been very beautiful.

Ami watched as Zoe's face wrinkled in a frown. Timidly she reached out a hand and gently brushed some hair off of his forehead. To her surprise Zoe immediately relaxed with a sigh. Ami felt the smallest of blushes on her cheeks and was surprised at herself.

She found a blanket and covered Zoe with it, taking care to make sure he was comfortable. Then she went into her bedroom, dragging a pile of books with her, so that she wouldn't disturb him with her reading. But she found, as she read, that her concentration was, for some obscure reason, strangely skittish.

* * *

Mina sat on her knees across from Kip, who sat in a similar position at the low table in the living room.

A tense and uncomfortable silence continued to drag on as the two took turns looking at each other and then glancing away.

Finally, Kip decided to break the oppressive quiet.

"I did call before I came but you didn't answer your phone."

Mina frowned.

"I was asleep."

"Yes, I noticed..."

Silence once more. He cleared his throat.

"I've come to explain a few things," he began, his tone light and easy, but his eyes seemed hesitant and slightly stone-like.

"Alright," Mina replied, vaguely.

Kip coughed, then squared his shoulders.

"This is difficult..."

"I bet it is," Mina muttered. Kip hid an involuntary smile.

"I suppose so, when I was the one who..."

"Who left." Mina finished, without accusation, but with a certain sense of injury.

"Yes."

They both looked away for a moment or two. Kip seemed uncertain of how to proceed.

"Did you ever regret it?" Mina asked suddenly, turning to look up at him.

"Regret leaving you?"

She was almost shocked at the sudden though suppressed emotion she heard his voice.

"No, I meant - did you regret agreeing to date me in the first place?" she asked, looking down and blushing slightly.

"Isn't that why you left?"

"No."

Kip stared at her with what, for him, was shock.

"Is that what you've thought all this time?"

Mina looked up again, and her eyes were getting a little moist.

"Well, what was I supposed to think!?" she retorted, "I mean, you didn't say anything. You just left - and I stood there in all that mess and you were gone."

Kip's lips pressed into a tight grimace.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Yeah, well. So am I."

Mina was angry with herself. This wasn't what she had planned. In her plan, he was supposed to come to her years into the future and suddenly realize how foolish he'd been, but by then of course it would be too late and she'd be dying of some rare disease she'd contracted while helping unfortunate people in starving countries...but he'd shown up like this and now...

She was making a mess of herself instead of acting like a cool, mature adult.

"Was it because I'm a still a kid to you?" she meant to ask in a chilling tone, but it came out a little shaky.

"I've never thought of you as a child," He answered, calmly.

Damn him! - she thought - how can he be so calm?! She refused to look at him anymore.

"Well, was it somebody else?" She tossed her head proudly at this - she meant Zoe, of course, but knew she couldn't say that.

Kip stared at her for a long moment before replying in a rock solid voice:

"You're the only one there's ever been."

Mina felt a little dizzy but she rallied very well.

"That's not what I meant," she sniffed, "Though I'm glad to hear that."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I mean...oh, Kip you know who I mean, for crying out loud."

She finally faced him and was surprised to see that his usual serene featured face was both pale and agitated.

"Zoe?" He asked.

Mina nodded.

He looked away from her and down, and swallowed lightly.

"Zoe left."

His eyes, when he turned back to her, almost made her fall over with their expression of utter helplessness. Always before this she had thought of him as the stronger of the two of them - but now she realized that he had many insecurities and vulnerabilities that she had completely disregarded or missed.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Are you alright?"

He put a hand to his head and withdrew it quickly, almost ashamed of the gesture.

"Yes, but...I'm worried about him."

Mina's face darkened slightly, she couldn't help it.

"Why did he leave? What did he say?"

"He said...he told me that he didn't need me anymore."

Mina blinked.

"He did?"

"He told me he wanted to take care of himself, and that I should do the same thing. Clearly he feels like he's been a burden."

Kip shook his head.

"After everything we've been through I just can't seem to convince him that..."

"I don't think that's it," Mina interrupted, and odd expression on her face. Kip frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I think," Mina began slowly, "I think he was trying to tell you that he finally is convinced."

"I don't understand - but why would he leave?"

"Maybe he finally feels like he'll be alright by himself. I don't think he means he doesn't want you around - just that he wants to support himself for a change - try his wings, so to speak."

"You know, Kip," she said, moving closer to him, "I think Zoe's finally learning to be alright with himself. I think this is his step to leaving the past behind. Not you."

Kip seemed to be contemplating the floorboards and Mina wondered if she'd said too much. Even when they'd been dating the subject of Zoe had been a tender one at best. She started to chew on her lip a bit nervously.

Finally Kip seemed to come to some decision within himself. He looked up at her with an almost new expression - one she didn't recognize because she'd never seen him without that slight strain in his face - the result of the constant worry for his brother. Now it seemed to have unwound itself. This new Kip took her slightly off guard.

"There's something else that's been bothering me," he said, after a moment. There was a little glint in his eyes that Mina couldn't quite trust. It stirred memories that seemed to warn her that this meant trouble.

"What's that?"

"Well," Kip picked up the spoon on the table and started to play with it.

"I am wondering about that question you asked me before."

"Which -" Suddenly she blushed, "Oh, that one."

Was it her imagination, or was he smirking, just there in the corner of his mouth?

"Hm," he continued to examine the spoon.

"Did I answer it?"

"No," Mina replied flatly, "You didn't. But I'm embarrassed that I asked it like that...so..."

"Oh, I don't think you need to be embarrassed," Kip stated, putting the spoon on the table and giving her a look she hadn't seen in five years. It was the one he'd given her the second day on the job as her bodyguard, when she'd tried to trick him into losing her so she could ditch rehearsal for the beach and he'd caught her chatting up a surfer. It was the look that made her renounce all other men without so much as a farewell twinge of remorse. It had made the surfer seem like cottage cheese compared to a three course meal.

Mina gulped.

Kip heightened this look by a small smile. A small one. But none-the-less Mina forgot to take a breath.

"Is that so?" she asked, feigning disinterest. She had decided she would play hard to get, damn it! He deserved it.

"Yes," Kip noticed her chilly demeanor and backed off at once. He stood and adjusted his coat, giving her a hand to help her stand. He noticed her reaction and hid his own admirably well. He released her hand immediately and noted her subtle disappointment. It gave him quite a bit of hope.

"Well, I was wondering..." he began.

"How would you answer that same question if I asked you?"

It was risky, Mina noted with awe. A very risky gamble on his part. If she wanted to, she could crush him now with a mere look. But then...of course, she didn't really want to.

"I would say the odds are favorable," she said, being generous.

To her utter surprise, Kip merely looked mildly surprised.

"Really? How interesting. Well, I should be going. I have to deal with the business of re-organizing the band this week."

He turned and started toward the door while Mina stared at his broad back in outrage.

"Wait a minute!" She yelled.

He turned around as gracefully as though she had barely chimed his name.

"You are just going to walk out without answering me?"

Kip watched her for a moment, then smiled a half smile that she remembered very well.

"Take things slow, Miss Aino. You're always in such a rush."

That same voice, those same words, said in the same half-mocking, affectionate tone. She remembered that it had been his answer to her when she'd first asked him to go out with her. When she had been convinced that he was playing with her.

"Life's short, Mr. Gray." she replied, crossing her arms and smiling in-spite of herself as they consciously re-lived this moment of their past.

"That's true," he agreed, "Well, then."

He crossed to her quickly and bent down before she could pull away, kissing her not on her cheek as she had expected from their first time enacting this ridiculous scene, but rather going for the lips without hesitation. It was a short kiss and began timidly, but soon became a very eager one since it had been some time since they'd practiced this kind of thing and both seemed to have forgotten how much they'd enjoyed it. When he pulled away, Mina started to get her bearings again.

"I think you've got something there," he murmured, taking a deep breath as if he was savoring his favorite aroma, "Faster is better."

"Uh...I don't know," Mina said, her voice slightly shaky and breathless , "Maybe we should take things slow after-all."

Kip laughed at her then, but she didn't really mind. She'd come closer to achieving her goal in one brief hour than she had in the last five years.

"So, does that mean that we're...uh... taking things...?" she asked.

"Well, what do you think?"

His tone was utterly serious and considerate, but she knew he was laughing at her behind his eyes.

"I think I'm probably going to kill you," she said, half meaning this. She'd written ten songs about it already.

"In that case, I'll be going," he said and walked out the door.

Mina considered throwing a shoe at it as it closed. But then, she was too close to being torn between insane happiness and overwhelming anxiety to resort to action.

She sat down on the couch, grabbed her stuffed cat and hugged it tightly, and cried and laughed until she was utterly exhausted.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

Rei tiptoed around the large, koi-filled pond, careful to keep her wrap from dipping into the water. When she had navigated this obstacle successfully to the waiting table where Jude was watching her with supreme amusement, she only just controlled the urge to slap him.

No one would ever have guessed from the serene expression on her face that she wanted to pick him up and throw him into the pond behind her.

"What is this...place?" she asked.

Jude flipped his napkin out with a pop which startled her, and then placed it sedately on his lap.

"This is my favorite restaurant." He said.

"How nice."

"Don't like it, my dear?"

Rei suppressed a snarl behind a cool smile.

"It's a little...damp, don't you think?"

"That's why it's called the Water Palace." He pointed out, sweetly.

Rei sat in her chair, thankful at least that there was a waiter to pull out the chair for her - if Jude had been that close to her she probably wouldn't have been able to control herself.

"You know, you remind me of a cat."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she purred.

"No, just an observation," he returned, "You don't seem to like water at all."

"I don't mind it."

"But you don't like it."

"Does it really matter?"

"I guess not."

They were silent for a moment.

The waiter brought a bottle of wine and two glasses.

Rei held her hand over her glass, and Jude quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Don't like wine either?"

"I just don't feel like drinking tonight."

"Well, then..."

He paused as the waiter set a glass of water on the table. Rei picked it up in resignation.

"Here's to a short but prosperous friendship."

Jude clinked his glass against hers, as she seemed to have no intention of moving hers toward him for the toast.

Rei sipped her water and Jude his wine, each surreptitiously eying the other.

"So...why is this your favorite restaurant? I take it you like water quite a lot?"

"No," Jude finished his sip; "I just think it's a very tranquil place. The sound of waterfalls relaxes me."

"What do you do?" he continued, "I mean to unwind from the overwhelming stress?"

"I don't find our lifestyle particularly stressful."

"Really? I find that hard to believe."

Rei gave him a dark look.

"Let me rephrase that then," she suggested, "I didn't find our lifestyle particularly stressful until I met you."

"Fair enough," Jude said with a sigh.

The waiter re-filled their glasses.

* * *

Zoe woke up feeling marvellously refreshed, but rather disoriented.

When he stood up from the couch he heard a noise in the kitchen. Following his nose and his ears he found Ami in the kitchen, stirring something in a pan.

"Do you like omelets?" she asked, looking at him over her shoulder.

He noted the fuzzy grey bath robe and slippers and smiled to himself.

"Yes, can I help?"

"Do you cook?"

"Not really," he admitted.

"Well, maybe you'd like to learn. I always do."

She moved to the side so that he could stand beside her and proceeded to teach him how to cook an omelet, Ami-style. The ingredients were sitting on the counter beside her, already measured out in beakers and cups. She instructed him to pour each one into the pan of the egg and cheese mixture. Zoe did as he was told and then, after showing him how to flip the omelet, she handed the frying pan to him and cracked more eggs into it.

"Use the wrist," she encouraged him.

Zoe, breathing in and out slowly to steady his hand, flipped the omelet and whooped when it miraculously folded itself as Ami's had.

"That was very good," she said, patting him absent-mindedly on the shoulder, "Very good for a first attempt."

Zoe sat down at the dinning room table and watched, confused, as Ami walked past him into the bedroom.

"Aren't you going to..eat..the...omelet?" he called.

Ami popped her head around the door and beckoned to him.

Zoe grabbed his plate and followed her into the bedroom.

He nearly dropped the plate as he took in the sight of Ami's transformed bedroom. The windows were open, allowing the breeze from the sea to ruffle the curtains and sunshine to flood the entire room. Her bed had been disassembled and was now lying in organized piles against the wall. There was a long table she'd moved from the hallway, and on it were an assortment of medical books, a microscope, and a few cultures along with some other equipment.

"Has Housecleaning seen this?" he asked in a strangled voice.

"I've left the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door, even when I go out," Ami explained, "But since you're here they haven't even knocked on the door."

She cocked her head to one side.

"I wonder why?"

Zoe decided not to offer any of his own theories on this subject.

"So, what is all of this?"

"My lab."

"I see."

He started to walk around the room, poking at things.

"I'm studying mouth swab cultures, my own and a few from other people."

"What other people?" he asked, startled.

"Oh, a few who volunteered - I met them on my way to the library."

_Who volunteers to get their mouth swabbed by a stranger?_ Zoe wondered.

"There are certain tests that I want to make sure I know how to do before I enter med school," she continued, "It isn't necessary but I like to be prepared. And it's fun."

"Fun?"

"I think so."

Ami picked up a dish and gave it a quick look.

"So, you're all set to go to school? You'll have to quit _Ai No Soldier_ too."

Ami frowned, tipping her glasses down over her face.

"I regret that. I will miss the girls. And you."

Zoe nearly dropped his omelet again.

"Me?"

"Well, yes," she turned to regard him with a smile, "You are my friend."

"You kind of say that like the emphasis is on the singular."

"It is."

"What about the girls?"

Ami turned back to the dish.

"Well, I think in many ways they aren't as close to me as you are. If friendship is a measure of emotional proximity, then you would have to have the distinction of being a friend which would relegate them to acquaintances. Although it doesn't seem quite right."

Zoe watched her as he chewed and swallowed.

"You could say that I'm your best friend," he suggested, "And that they are your girlfriends."

Ami considered this.

"I like that," she said, smiling, "That does seem more appropriate."

She returned to the table and he watched her.

"Am I really your best friend?" he asked, after a moment.

"Yes." Ami didn't look up from what she was doing.

"But you've only known me for a couple of weeks."

"Does that matter?"

"I guess not, but...what about childhood friends? School friends - I mean..."

"I didn't go to school," she answered, only half paying attention, "My mother hired private tutors for me. And she didn't allow people to come over - it would have been too distracting."

Zoe put his omelet down on the floor, suddenly no longer hungry.

"So you've never had any friends until...now?"

"Would you hand me that?" she pointed to a box of sterile plastic gloves.

He did as she asked, and sat down closer to the table so he could see what she was doing.

"What about you?" she asked, after a moment, "Did you have many friends in school?"

"Not really. I started late...and never got on very well. I dropped out after two years of high school."

"Why?"

Zoe stared into her frank gaze.

"Well, I'm not very smart. And I can't follow rules."

Ami looked at him for a long moment, which discomfited him immensely.

"What?"

Ami gave him that considering look again.

"Do you really think that?" she asked, at last.

"Think what?"

"That you are unintelligent."

Zoe gave a derisive snort.

"I'm not an idiot," he answered, "But I'm smart enough to know that I'm no genius. Unlike you."

To his surprise Ami almost winced, and turned back to her work.

"That's interesting," she commented, "That you would feel that way. Did you try first before you came to that conclusion?"

"Yeah, I did," he retorted, slightly stung.

"They spent years trying to hammer theorems, grammar, and who-knows what else into my head - but it didn't stick."

Ami ignored his sharp tone and continued to focus on her work.

"Hm...well, can you do simple math?"

"Yes," he answered, very sharply.

"I didn't mean to offend you," she answered, "I was just trying to get clarification."

"Why don't we just drop it?" He suggested.

"Was there anything that interested you in school?"

"I don't know why you are so obsessed with this, but...yes, I guess I liked shop and computer science pretty well."

"Mechanically minded?"

"Whatever."

Zoe laughed this off and turned to exit the room.

"Do me a favor then," Ami called, halting him in the doorway.

She turned away from her dishes and looked back over her shoulder at the pile of bed framing against the wall.

"Do you think you could make me another table?"

Zoe blinked at her three times.

"You want me," he asked very slowly, "To make a table?"

"If you can and please."

"You're serious?"

Ami returned to her test.

"You're serious," he muttered.

"There's no way," he answered her, "I can't just do something like that. I'm not a mechanical prodigy."

Ami simply continued to tinker with her petri dish.

"Really?"

Zoe ran a hand through his hair.

"If you're serious, I'm going to need some tools."

Ami stood up and went into the huge closet, emerging with a leather bag full of shop tools.

"If there's something you think you might need then just let me know and I'll have them send it here."

"Do you always travel with a full shop in a bag, Mary Poppins?"

"Who?"

"Never-mind. I think I should have stopped being surprised about three weeks ago."

Ami looked at him for a moment and then, unexpectedly, she laughed.

"You say the strangest things," she chuckled.

Zoe found her dimpled laugh infectious.

"I never thought I'd find anyone crazier than me, Ami, but I think you fit the bill."

Zoe hid a grin as he turned his back to Ami and began to rifle through the tool bag. He didn't see her blush.

* * *

"So you were thinking of becoming a priestess?" Jude asked, around a mouthful of salmon.

"Wouldn't that require a vow of chastity?"

Rei nearly dropped her fork.

"No, you're thinking of a Nun," she answered, her tone sour, "I'm talking about the Shinto priesthood."

"My bad."

"But actually," she went on, "Now that you mention it, I was thinking about taking a vow of chastity, among other things."

Now it was Jude's turn to nearly drop a fork.

"Really?"

"Is it that incomprehensible to you?" she demanded.

"No, no - not at all. Nothing against it," he held up his hands defensively.

"Just caught me off guard, that's all. I don't see you doing something like that."

Rei sniffed.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Jude said, dismissively, "You just seem too...passionate...to ever..."

He wisely stopped talking.

"Too passionate, hm?" she asked, "What led you to that conclusion?"

Jude knew he'd backed himself into a corner - he also knew he had to be honest. He finished his salmon bite and put his fork down, lacing his fingers together.

"Look, I don't mean any offense, alright?"

"None taken. Yet."

"I just meant that, from what I've seen of your personality - your passion for your music - or concern for your friends that sometimes borders on authoritarianism - or your occasional temper flares -"

"Temper?"

"Well, it does happen occasionally."

Rei's face grew grimmer, if it were possible.

"And when it does happen," he went on, his tone lowering, "I can glimpse a fire in you that you don't let anyone else see."

"There's a very passionate heart in there, Miss Hino - and a very fiery nature - even though it's well hidden under a mound of snow."

"You seem to have a flair for nature metaphors." she remarked, caustically.

"But have you ever considered that perhaps the reason you are the only person who sees these things in me is because you are the only person who makes me irritated enough to lose my cool?"

"Either way, I'm the only one getting a reaction - that means something, doesn't it?" he argued.

They both suddenly fell silent as the import of his words hit them. Jude felt a bit disoriented for a moment - Rei merely felt surprised.

"I really don't understand you - "

"And I don't understand you," he quipped, "But the point is that I'm trying to."

Rei was effectively silenced by that remark. She even felt a bit of contrition.

"Though why it should matter to me-" he went on.

"Yes, that's the part I'm curious about," she cut in, "Why does it matter to you, Jude? Sometimes it feels like you get your kicks by psychoanalyzing me."

Jude shook this off.

"I don't know," he answered with a shrug, "I just have an interest in you."

"Why?"

The intensity of her eyes was beginning to get to him. He felt the tables had definitely turned.

"I'm not sure. Maybe we knew each other in a past life."

He laughed weakly at this, and was relieved to see Rei smile stiffly.

"Well, if that's true it can't have been a very pleasant one." she remarked.

"Probably not," he conceded.

"Hm..." she smiled to herself - almost laughed.

"What is it?"

"Nothing...I was just thinking - if we did know each other in a past life," she said, with a small, wry smile, "Then we were probably enemies, wouldn't you think?"

Jude laughed - with that small joke he felt as if the first, and perhaps most formidable barrier between them had been suddenly lifted just a bit.

"Yeah. Well, in that case...truce?"

He lifted his glass and this time she lifted hers to meet it. The almost empty glasses made a satisfying chinking sound.

"To peace."

"Peace," Rei repeated and downed the last sip of water.

* * *

"That's very good," Ami said, kneeling behind Zoe who was sitting on the floor, his hair pulled into a spiky pony-tail, wearing an apron over his undershirt and jeans with a jacket pulled over this. He also had on a pair of darkened goggles and was attempting to weld the metal pieces of the hotel bed together with a very small mig welder.

"Did you make the calculations for weight distribution?" she asked.

Zoe pushed the dark goggles onto his head.

"Yes," he answered, wiping sweat off his forehead, "I've decided to add a few extras. Do you think you can get them to send us the things on this list?"

Ami perused the list quickly.

"Shouldn't be a problem. Can I check your calculations?"

Zoe looked at her and grinned.

"They're in here." he said and tapped his forehead.

"You didn't write them down?"

"No, that kind of thing is easy to figure out."

Ami went to her make-shift desk and retrieved a pad of paper and a pencil.

"I just want to check - is this what you came up with?"

She did a very rapid calculation and showed him the final sum.

He glanced at it.

"Yeah," he said, "But you really don't need all of this to get that."

"What do you mean?"

"Look," he took the paper from her and scribbled through some of her computation.

"See, that's much faster."

Ami stared at the paper for a moment.

"Who told you that you weren't smart?" she asked, quietly.

Zoe had half a mind on his project.

"My dad's housekeeper - she said I had noodles for brains," he answered, absently.

"Is that so?" Ami asked. She looked up from the paper to watch Zoe as he fiddled with a piece of railing.

"Yeah."

Ami folded the paper and put it in her pocket like a keep-sake or a love letter.

"You know," she said, after a moment, "Have you given any thought to what you want to do - if you quit the band?"

"Not really," he admitted.

"Hm. Well, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want. Until we move on, of course."

Zoe stopped tinkering.

"Thank you. I never really...asked you if you would mind...I just barged in here without thinking..."

"It's alright," she smiled, waving a hand, "That's what friends do, isn't it?"

"I guess so," he began.

"You know, I always wanted to do this kind of thing," she went on, "I mean have a friend over."

Zoe blinked, once again staggered by the combination of intelligence and naivete encompassed in Ami.

"Well, I'm glad I can be of service."

He smiled.

"And I'm glad it's me," he muttered to himself. Ami didn't hear him. He wondered again just who she had asked to do the mouth swabs - and how she'd gone about that interesting experiment.

"You've lived a very sheltered life, haven't you, Ami?"

"I don't know," she answered, surprised, "I suppose I have."

Zoe hid a grimace.

"Will you do me a favor?" he asked.

"Of course."

"If you decide to go out and do another, uh, mouth swabbing round - will you let me come with you?"

"Oh, are you interested?" she smiled.

"Uh...yeah."

Zoe sighed quietly.

Ami's phone suddenly wrang. She answered it and walked into the other room. When she returned Zoe gave her a questioning look.

"That was Setsuna," she explained, "She says we're going to have a rehearsal tomorrow for our second live performance here. It was supposed to be our third, but they cancelled the last one after the -"

"The disaster the first one became?" he guessed.

"Yes."

"Can I...come with you?" he asked.

"You want to sit in on a rehearsal?" Ami seemed pleasantly surprised.

"Yes, I like hearing you play."

Ami blushed scarlet - which startled Zoe, but he was wise enough not to let on that he'd noticed her reaction.

"Alright, then." She smiled a little shyly, turning away to go back to her desk.

With her back turned to him, Zoe took the opportunity to grin to himself over her reaction.

"Alright, then," he murmured, happily.


	14. Chapter 14

**A.N **Finally, a little action. Sorry for the dearth of action - i've really wanted to do a lot of character development, and that's hard to do in the middle of a bar room brawl. At least, it is for me. But I hope this will be a little more exciting. Thanks for reading so far!

- F. F.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen **

* * *

"Guys."

The tone of Usagi's voice alerted Mina and Rei to turn quickly toward the studio door.

"No way."

"I think I'm still asleep."

Rei reached over and gave Mina a solid pinch on the arm.

"Ow!" she shouted, angrily, "Totally unnecessary, Rei!"

"Just trying to help." Rei replied, sweetly.

"My ass," Mina muttered.

But both were again struck dumb by the surprising sight of Ami entering the room with a man in tow. And not just any man: Zoe.

"Where have you been -" Mina began.

"He's not staying, is he?" Rei asked at the same time.

"Wow, Ami, you have a boyfriend!?" Usa exclaimed.

Usa's voice, being the loudest, was the one Ami and Zoe heard. Zoe had the indecency to look moderately pleased by this gross assumption, but Ami was definitely anything but...

"No!" she answered, blushing to the roots of her hair, "Nothing like that at all. He simply wanted to sit in on a session."

"You didn't bother to ask us," Rei pointed out.

"Why are you in such a bad mood?" Mina demanded of her, "Are you PMSing or something?"

Rei gave her a murderous look.

"I had a date last night," she answered, sourly.

"Most people are happy about dates," Mina explained to her, "They have what we like to call 'a good time'."

"You go on a date with Jude, then."

"He's hot, why not?"

Rei suddenly bristled and Mina hid a smirk.

"If you like being interrogated and analyzed within an inch of your life, then by all means -"

"Careful, Rei, that smacks strongly of possessiveness."

"Possessive?" Rei retorted in dignified amazement, "Me? Jealous over that man?"

The way in which she said the words 'that man' only seemed to make Mina's eyes shine brighter.

"I never mentioned jealousy, but now that we come to it -"

"Enough," Rei barked, turning to point a finger at the somewhat intimidated Zoe, "What about him."

"Uh...I can go," Zoe began.

"No," Ami announced primly, to everyone's surprise, including her own:

"Zoe's staying."

They all gave Ami a second glance and she blushed even harder, but remained firm. Finally Rei relented.

"As long as he's quiet," she growled, "And stays out of the way."

"You won't even know I'm here," he promised, meekly.

The women went to their respective instruments and continued to set up for the day's recording. A sudden bang of the door surprised all of them, and made Zoe jump out of his seat.

Mako entered the room in an ominous silence, her usual saunter was a mean-looking lope, and she smelled very faintly of whiskey.

"Whoa, Mako-chan," Mina commented, when she saw the other girl more clearly, "What's with those eyes? Looks like you haven't slept in a week."

"Just a night," Mako replied, her normally low voice was gruffer than usual.

"Hm."

From the way Mako looked, it had apparently not been a very good night. Mako's eyes came to light on Zoe's slight figure and her face became hard and stone-like.

"What's he doing here?" she demanded.

"That's what I'd like to -" Rei began before Mina unceremoniously stepped on her foot. Perhaps it was in light of her own recent romantic break through, but Mina was very intune to the feelings of others at the moment (more so, evidently, than either Mako or Rei) and could see that there was something going on between Ami and Zoe, regardless of whether they had realized it or not. She was, therefore, determined to promote this potential relationship at every opportunity. Or to protect it, if called upon.

"He came to hear us play," she informed the taller girl, "Isn't that nice?"

"Hmph," was all Mako had to say on the subject.

"What is it with everyone?" Mina muttered to herself.

Usa sent her a worried glance, to which she shrugged. She had no idea why Rei and Mako were in such foul moods - but she could take a good guess that the cause was probably a man in both cases.

"Alright, what are we starting with first?" Setsuna asked, over the intercom.

"Erm...I think _Moonlight_." Mina answered, strumming the chords experimentally.

"Alright, they're ready when you are - "

Mina nodded to the others and Zoe went to sit in the booth with Setsuna, giving Ami a little wave as he disappeared.

Mina smiled to herself as she began the song.

In the booth, Setsuna gave Zoe a pair of headphones and leaned against the wall beside his chair. He listened to the opening and found the music surprisingly catchy. He was caught up in watching Ami play when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

As he looked up, Setsuna caught his eye and smiled.

"Do you like this song?" she asked, bending down closer to his ear.

"Yeah," he nodded, "It's got a really nice tune. Mina's a great singer."

"I think so too," she said, "What do you think about the lyrics? Ami and Mina wrote them together."

"Ami wrote this song?" he asked, excitedly.

Setsuna nodded.

"Yes, it's the first one she collaborated on with Mina. Usually Mina writes most of ths songs, and Rei and Mako sometimes add their own, or help her with them."

"What is it called?" he asked, trying to pay more attention to the lyrics now.

"_Moonlight_."

"Oh."

Zoe listened for a moment, catching the gist of the song.

"What is it about?" he asked, "It sounds like she's telling a story."

"She is," Setsuna answered, with a rather pleased expression.

"It's about a young man and woman. It's their last meeting with each other before they're forced to part ways."

"But it doesn't sound sad," he argued, "I mean the tune is really light."

"Yes, well, I don't think they meant it to be sad, even though the subject is a sad one."

"How strange," he murmured, getting lost in the music.

"Take a look at the lyrics," Setsuna suggested. She pulled out a jacket cover and flipped it to the page with the song.

Zoe read along as Mina sang.

_The world's turned to roses, since I came here._

_The night's always filled with stars._

_I can't find the darkness, though I know it's near,_

_There's moonlight wherever you are._

Rei joined Mina in a harmony on the chorus.

_I know that the sun's gonna break through too soon,_

_And all of my wishes are spent -_

_But if, in the end, it's just me and the moon,_

_I'll keep dreaming, til I see you again._

_"Yes, if, in the end, it's just me and the moon,"_ Mina finished, softly:

"I'll dream, til I see you again..."

Ami finished off the last staggered chords.

Zoe sat in silence for some moments, unaware that Setsuna watched him with great interest. In his mind, the lyrics from the song were stirring up something ancient and buried, and utterly beyond his grasp. He had a feeling that whatever it was - he wasn't meant to remember it - but that it seemed to somehow make a few things clear to him. He felt, oddly, both saddened and encouraged.

"You know, this may sound ridiculous," he said, at last, "But we have a song called _Heavenly -_"

"Yes, I've heard it," Setsuna replied with a wry smile.

"Oh, well, it's...very similar to this one. I mean," he added, quickly, "Not like it's a copy or anything, it's just some of the words or feelings, I guess, are the same - or at least - similar."

"I noticed that," she answered.

"It makes you think..."he began, staring at Ami through the glass, "Sort of about...connections between people..."

Suddenly he realized what he was saying and seemed to snap out of his ponderous mood.

"I mean," he laughed, "it's funny. That's all."

"Oh, I know what you mean," Setsuna informed him, calmly.

Zoe gave an embarrassed little laugh and turned back to listen to the next song.

* * *

"So we're finally going to lay this turkey to rest, huh?" Jude asked, sourly.

"Yeah," Mamoru said, stretching his fingers as he stood at the microphone.

"It's about time."

Nolan said nothing. He simply stood with his guitar in hand and waited, like a statue.

Jude eyed him for the hundredth time since they'd started their recording that day. There was something definitely off about Nolan - almost as if he were in shell-shock.

"So, let's go," Mamoru said, beginning to count off - it was his first time recording this song -

"One, two -"

Jude started the slow drum into, and breathed a sigh of relief when Nolan entered on time. He stole a look at Nolan and noted that the other man wasn't looking at his fingers or his band-mates - he seemed to be staring at nothing at all.

They played about twenty-seconds more of music before Mamoru leaned in to begin the song.

_"Heavenly,"_ he sang, "_That's what I thought."_

_"The first time I saw you...that's what I thought."_

_"If the moon could come down - out of the sky,_

_- if 'Angels and Heaven' wasn't a lie,_

_- and even when I knew that you'd make me cry -_

_I said..."_

_"She's Heaven." _He and Jude sang.

Mamoru stepped back for a few measures of guitar work only.

Kip watched them from behind the glass. His eyes were heavily circled from lack of sleep - since he couldn't sleep when he was worried about Zoe. It helped that things between himself and Mina were finally starting to become resolved (and in an entirely satisfying manner) but he knew he could never be happy even with that, unless he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Zoe was happy as well.

He listened to the song - hated by all, especially Zoe - and smiled to himself. He didn't know why, but whenever he heard them play it he was almost instantly reminded of Mina. And of the first time he'd met her. Though of course, he would never have volunteered this information to her or anyone else.

He glanced at Nolan, and frowned. Nolan had come in like a zombie, and hadn't shown signs of improvement. Over the years, Kip had seen Nolan drunk, enraged, drunk and enraged, drunk and sad, and simply miserable. But he had never seen Nolan act the way he was acting today. Neither, from his apparent worried glances, had Jude.

As they finished up the last notes of the song, Kip called in to tell them to take a break.

Mamoru walked out without a word to the rest, still as distant and aloof as ever, but with more goodwill in his manner than before. Jude went to make a phone call, and Nolan simply sat down on a speaker and looked at the floor.

Kip stood in front of him for some time watching, and it was only after he'd called Nolan's name three times, that Nolan finally looked up out of his morose reverie.

"Is something wrong?"

Nolan looked away for a moment, as if he didn't know where he was, then seemed to remember something and turned back to Kip. Looking up at him with round, empty eyes, he took a deep breath and said:

"Mako broke up with me."

* * *

"Time to take a break," Setsuna announced.

"Rei, you have a phone call," she added.

Rei rolled her eyes.

She went to the phone and answered, as Mina and Usa pretended to adjust their instruments while listening intently.

"So, it's you," Rei answered, her tone decidedly icy.

"I was wondering when you'd call."

Rei listened for a moment, and her face grew even colder.

"Oh, is that so? I've already given you my answer on that subject."

There was a rather long reply on the other end.

Rei's eyes darkened.

"Fine," she sighed, "Do what you want. But don't expect me to change my mind."

She hung up the phone without another word.

Mina and Usa quickly looked back at their instruments as Rei turned to walk back to hers. After she passed them, Mina looked at Usa and realized they were thinking the same thing: things looked bad for Rei's second potential relationship.

Mina was about to shrug Rei off as a hopeless cause and begin eavesdropping on Ami and Zoe when Setsuna stuck her head back into the studio.

"Rei, another call," she announced.

Rei made a grumbling noise and almost threw her pick onto the ground, but managed to control this unlady-like urge. She stalked to the phone yet again and picked up the receiver.

"What is it!?" she demanded, harshly. Suddenly, to Mina and Usa's complete surprise, her face utterly changed. The angry wrinkles on her forehead smoothed themselves, the irate tone became merely sardonic, and the pinched mouth relaxed into the faintest beginning of a smile - all of which Rei was totally unaware.

"Oh, it's you," she said, flipping her hair over one shoulder, "I didn't think you'd be up for round two."

Usa and Mina shared an excited glance.

"Uh-huh," Rei answered, "Well, I guess I can't object to that."

There was a short reply on the other end.

"Hah!" Rei actually guffawed, "Alright, I'll do it. But it better be better than last time. Or else."

The other person made some sort of witty quip and Rei chuckled lightly.

"You're such an idiot," she said, with almost a beginning of affectionate disdain, "I'll be there. Early this time. I promise."

She hung up this time with a considerably lesser degree of pent up anger and frustration.

"Who was that?" Mina asked casually.

"That man." Rei answered in a clipped tone. But Usa and Mina saw the little smirk on her face.

This time they shared a silent high-five across the room when Rei's back was turned.

"Did he ask you out for your next not-a-date?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. And it's a group invitation."

"Oh, really?" Usa exclaimed, "That sounds like fun!"

"Where are we going?" Mina asked.

"Some place called Ares Vallis," she replied, "I think it's a club."

"Fun!" Mina crowed, overjoyed. This was just the opportunity she had been longing for - a chance for her to finally have Kip to herself, and for her to keep tabs on everyone else's business at the same time.

It was too perfect.

Mako seemed to disagree.

"I'm not going." she said, dismally.

"Why on Earth not?" Mina demanded, "You love clubs."

"I don't feel like it."

"Why not?"

"I just don't, damn it."

Mina backed off, and even Rei seemed sobered by Mako's mood.

"Did something happen, Mako-chan?" Usa asked, timidly.

Mako scowled at the floor, opened her mouth, then shut it.

"No."

The three shared a distinct and communicative glance.

"You know, Mako," Mina said, "You might feel better going to a club with us...I mean if anything were to be wrong, you wouldn't have to dance or anything - you could just sit at the bar..."

"I'm too young to drink," she reminded them.

"They wouldn't have to know that," Mina sang. Rei gave her a disapproving look, but even she seemed to feel sympathetic as she looked at Mako's miserable form.

"We'd be with her," Mina mouthed at Rei, over Mako's head.

"Fine," Rei mouthed back. Her look seemed to add that should anything go wrong, Mina would be taking all the blame. Mina shrugged in acceptance.

"Well," Mako said, after some consideration, "I guess...if you promise I don't have to dance."

"Mako, I don't think there's a man alive who could make you do anything you didn't want to do."

Mako's glare made Mina wish she could take those words back. Before Mako could rescind her former acquiescence, however, Rei stepped in to divert her.

"I will personally stay and drink with you, Mako," she promised, "Gods know I don't want to dance with that fool."

Mako seemed slightly mollified and nodded her grudging agreement.

"Great! Me too." Usa cheered, "We're going to have so much fun, Mako!"

She slapped the other girl on the back and was rewarded with a very tiny smile.

"Are we planning something?" Ami asked, having just walked over from where she'd been conversing with Zoe.

"Rei and Jude have invited us to accompany them on their date -" Mina began.

"We are planning to go to a club tonight," Rei interrupted, "Would you like to come?"

"Zoe too, of course," Usa added.

"We'll come!" Zoe announced, quickly, as he appeared at Ami's side.

"That is, if you want to," he added, looking down at Ami. She seemed a little apprehensive but gave a short nod.

"Great," he said, almost relieved, "Where are we going, and when should I be there?"

"Ares Vallis," Mina said, "And your brother will be there too...you might want to let him know that you're alright, by the way. He's very worried about you."

"He is?" Zoe asked, exasperated, "I told him not to do that. He never listens to me."

"He listens to everything, you punk," Mina retorted, a bit miffed, "You could at least have the decency to let him know where you've been for the past three days."

"Why don't you tell him for me?" Zoe suggested, wickedly.

Mina suddenly blushed and sucked in a breath. Rei and Usa turned to look at her, a sudden suspicion blooming in both their minds.

"I don't have the least idea what you are talking about," Mina informed him, "Anyway that's neither here nor there. The question is where have you been?"

Zoe chuckled at her reaction but merely replied:

"With Ami."

All four women gasped as one and turned shocked faces to Ami, who found herself blushing unaccountably.

"Ami-chan?" Rei asked, in a strangeled voice.

"He needed a place to stay," Ami stammered, "We are friends, after all."

Again the women were flabbergasted.

"Friends?" Mina asked, in a small voice.

"Yes," Ami replied, primly.

"So you let him stay with you?" she continued.

"Yes."

"In your hotel room?"

"Yes."

"For three days?"

"Well," Ami considered, "Only two days and one night, so far."

"So far," Rei repeated.

"And," Mina said, trying to regain her composure, "This - this person -" here she looked with great disfavor upon Zoe who grinned at her with a wolfish glint in his eye - knowing exactly where her thoughts tended -

"This person has behaved himself?"

"Yes, of course," Ami seemed startled at the idea that Zoe would have been anything but well-behaved. When she did look up at him, his face beamed only innocence and virtue. Mina put a hand on Ami's shoulder and drew her a little closer to herself and a little farther from Zoe, which made Zoe look a little peeved.

"Ami, remind me to have a talk with you later..." Mina continued, "I'm very glad to hear that Zoe is such a gentleman - of course I wouldn't have expected anything less of him."

Her eyes, as they grabbed Zoe's, promised death if anything were to occur outside of her recently professed expectations. Zoe paled slightly and a bit sullenly.

"Well," Rei rejoined, "I'm sure Ami knows what's best for her." She smiled at her friend, and Ami, feeling uncommonly encouraged, smiled back. Ami didn't notice Rei's slight frown of apprehension as she watched Zoe's face.

"Wow." - was all that Usa had to say.

* * *

"Are you sure we should have brought him tonight?" Kip murmured in a low voice to Jude.

The music in the club was louder on the dance floor than it was where they were standing near the bar and tables, which meant that Kip didn't have to yell to make himself heard.

"It's better if he's here where I can watch him than at home moping...or worse," Jude answered, never taking his eyes from Nolan's numb face.

Jude adjusted the collar of his striped, light grey dress shirt, and slipped the keys to the Aston Marten into the pockets of his dark blue jeans. Shifting his gaze, he tried to pick out Rei's silky, raven's wing head from all the people already assembled in the club - but it was too difficult.

He looked instead at Kip and Nolan, both standing as still as blocks of wood - Kip standing out moderately in his very pale coral shirt and grey slacks and managing to look as though he was on his way to a casual business meeting rather than a social event, and yet still turning admiring eyes - and Nolan, hunched in a corner, looking like a wounded and dying bear (something of the Lord Byron look of danger and agony etched on his brow) appearing in a deep crimson shirt and jeans, his long hair hanging free. Those women who weren't looking at Kip were definitely staring at Nolan. He didn't seem to notice them, or anything else.

He saw a black, open collared dress shirt and black pants, and new without sighting the face that it was Mamoru. Did the man wear nothing but black?

A flash of white and then someone was tapping him on the shoulder. He looked down to find Rei in a slim white dress with a tempting off the shoulder dip and only one sleeve. It managed to make her look incredibly sexy and extremely elegant at the same time. Her hair was left hanging down, shining black against the dress.

"I told you I'd be early."

She was fairly grinning with satisfaction at his floored expression.

"Wonderful," he gulped.

"I brought everyone, just like you said," she went on and waited as he spotted each of them.

Behind her came Mina and Usa - Mina wearing a lacey pink dress that was both innocent and aluring, and Usa in a playful rusty red top and jacket, and jeans - looking very cute. Both their heels were rather tall, thin and deadly looking.

And then, behind all of them, Mako appeared - garnering eyes as she went. She had made the mistake of agreeing to let Mina dress her for the occassion, and Mina had outdone herself - which was to say - Mako didn't realize how appealing she looked at the moment, and if she had, she would probably have left the club.

In a dark, very short gold dress that looked more like a man's shirt, Mako's tall frame, made even taller by dusky gold heels which made her legs seem to go on forever, swayed through the room, the loose threads on the dress swinging gently as she walked. Her long hair was only partially up, most of it hung in an abundance of curls down her rather exposed back. The dress had a wide neck so that both of her shoulders were bare, which set off her tanned skin very well.

But unlike every other man in the room who was looking at Mako, Jude looked distressed to see her.

"I forgot," he whispered.

"What?" Rei asked, frowning.

"Nolan - he - and Mako - and -" he stumbled on as Rei began to wonder if he really was an idiot.

"They broke up," he hissed in her ear, at last.

"So that's why she's been in a pissy mood," she murmured, "Is Nolan here?"

Jude nodded, unhappily.

"Well, I guess there's nothing we can do now," she reflected.

"That's true. Maybe they won't -"

"Oh, look, Mako!" he heard Mina cry, "It's Nolan!"

As people watching a train wreck, Jude and Rei watched Mako turn slowly to see Nolan standing across the room, just ten short feet away. Nolan saw her too and started out of his gloom to blink at her.

Mako scowled, and then turned her back on him, walking to the bar. Nolan watched her go and seemed to be struggling with himself before Kip slipped over to him and began talking to him. He seemed to calm down somewhat, but his eyes continued to follow Mako through the room. Jude thought he caught Nolan snarling and wondered for a moment if he was really that angry with Mako - until he saw Nolan staring darkly at a young man who was looking a little too appreciatively at Mako's legs.

"Mina really needs to tone it down sometimes," Rei muttered as she watched Mako sit at the bar.

"I promised I'd drink with her," she said to Jude, "I hope you don't mind. You weren't planning on dancing, were you?"

She looked with dry asperity at the dance floor where about fifty or so people were attempting to dance with each other in what they all mistakenly thought was an attractive manner.

"I don't really dance like that," Jude answered.

Rei's brow shot up and she gave him a measuring glance.

"What kind of dancing do you do?"

Jude smiled mysteriously.

"Are you asking me to dance with you?"

Rei smirked.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," she said and turned to find Mako, leaving Jude to follow her.

* * *

Mamoru sipped his drink and was slightly startled to feel someone bump his shoulder.

He turned to apologize as did the other person.

They both stopped, open mouthed.

"Uh...sorry," Usa said at last.

Mamoru nodded.

"I didn't see you," he said, "Even though your style is so obviously eye-catching."

_Damn it,_ he cursed himself, _say 'cute'._

Usa frowned but didn't offer any further retaliation. Instead she said:

"You look very nice."

Mamoru winced.

"Thank you."

"Um...I'm sorry about...last time," she began, awkwardly, "Sometimes, I say things I don't really mean -"

"No," he interjected, quickly, "No, let me apologize."

Usa stared at him, unabashedly shocked.

"I...shouldn't have said what I did - especially about your fiance."

He watched in horror as Usa almost teared up.

"Thank you," she said, overcome, "You really aren't a bad person."

She gasped.

"I didn't mean - I meant -"

Mamoru couldn't help himself - he burst into laughter.

Usa timidly grinned.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked, when he had stopped.

"Sure." then -

"What?" she asked, as soon as her brain caught up.

"A drink - they have non-alcoholic ones - let's see - you like...strawberry?"

Usa's eyes opened wide.

"Yeah."

He motioned for her to proceed him and followed her to the bar. He watched her bunned head turn this way and that as she was distracted by the lights and color of the club and he found himself smiling.

"Definitely cute," he murmured.

* * *

"Is this really necessary?" Kip whispered in Mina's ear as they hid behind a convenient column. With her nose an inch from his it wasn't difficult to hear each other, though it made breathing difficult.

"Yes," she hissed, "I don't want them to know about us yet."

"Alright," Kip agreed, philosophically, "But do you mind if I ask why?"

"Not," he added, mildly, "That I doubt that you have a perfectly good reason."

"Listen," she tried to point her finger at him but there wasn't enough room. She settled for a penetrating stare.

"Last time we took everything at my pace - and we landed in a mess. This time I want to take things slowly - at your pace. No mistakes."

"Hm," Kip leaned in an inch and kissed her nose.

"But I think my pace has sped up considerably over the years." he suggested.

Mina muffled a sigh as his breath touched her neck.

"That's not the point," she argued, "I am as happy as you are - probably more -"

"Impossible," he murmured.

"- But that's just why I'm afraid -" she continued, "And if you leave again -"

He put a finger to her lips.

"That won't happen," he said, quietly. His green eyes held hers securely.

"It took all of my resolve to leave the first time," he went on, tracing her cheek, "And now that I don't have to -"

"Just a little bit longer," Mina insisted, desperately. She was trying very hard to ignore his eyes and his finger on her chin.

"Because," she said, "I don't think either of us can be ready until we're sure about Zoe."

As if it was a magic charm, Zoe's name caused Kip to straighten up. His look cooled and he let his hand slip from her face. Mina tried not to sigh in relief.

"If I knew that Zoe was really alright with us," he admitted, " and not just trying to help me..."

"Me too."

She looked up at him with a very honest gaze, and he smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Alright. I promise to behave myself until then."

"Good -"

"But I don't make any promises after that." He warned.

"Speaking of Zoe," she exclaimed, "He and Ami were supposed to be here by now."

"Zoe is with Miss Mizuno?"

He and Mina stared at each other with identical looks - about a thousand terrible scenarios rushing through their brains.

"We have to find them now," they both said, an rushed out from behind the column.

"I won't ask what you two were doing back there," a voice drawled, "but I'm sure it was interesting."

Mina ignored Zoe's sly poke with relief as she discovered he and Ami had just entered the club. Zoe was his usual resplendent self in a sea-turquoise shirt and jeans; standing beside him, Ami appeared more muted in a navy gamine dress and heels.

She had only a moment to take in these details before Kip launched himself from her side and embraced his brother. The gesture plainly startled both Mina and Zoe, the latter belatedly hugged his brother back.

They parted quickly and awkwardly, but Mina thought they both looked relieved and happy.

"I understand you've been staying with Miss Mizuno," Kip began.

"Please call me Ami," she said, "I've been happy to have him there."

"Really?" Kip asked, before he could stop himself.

"Oh, yes. He's very helpful - he can reach a lot of things, and he's quite good with his hands."

Zoe smothered a laugh into a cough as he caught his brother's displeased eye.

Kip gave Zoe a look that plainly bespoke shock followed by impending death, until Mina intervened.

"He helps with your experiments, right?" she asked, patting Kip's arm soothingly.

"Oh, is that it?" Kip asked, smiling tightly.

"Yes," Ami answered, confused that her meaning could have possibly been misunderstood.

"I'm glad you've been useful then."

"I try." Zoe couldn't restrain a smirk.

"Yes, I think we should have a talk," Kip suggested, gripping Zoe's arm in an unbreakable grip and steering him toward a booth.

"And there's something I want to talk to Ami about too," Mina said, and began to lead Ami away.

"You've got a nice ensemble going on there, you know," Zoe called to her as he was led away against his will.

"Both wearing pink, I mean," he grinned, "Almost like you planned it."

Mina gave him a look that told him where he could shove it.

"What did he say?" Ami asked.

"Nothing important."

* * *

Mako sat at the bar, not really paying attention to Rei's attempts to draw her into conversation. Eventually Rei and Jude began to banter back and forth with each other and let her down her whiskey shots in peace.

As she emptied her sixth shot and plopped the glass down for another a deep voice said:

"You shouldn't be drinking this."

A hand shot out to take the glass from her, but Mako, who's reflexes were very sharp, twisted the glass away and rapped the offender instead.

"Are you my mother?" she asked, flatly.

"No," Nolan answered, "But I know it's illegal for minors to drink alcohol."

The bartender began to look very nervous.

"Um...can I see your I.D.?" he asked, belatedly.

Mako sighed, closing her eyes as she heard Nolan sit down beside her.

"She'll have a coke, with lemon."

As soon as the coke appeared Mako opened her eyes, picked it up and unceremoniously threw it in Nolan's face.

Rei and Jude stopped arguing to stare at Nolan's dripping face. The bartender handed him a towel and retreated to the other end of the bar.

"Uh-oh," Jude murmured, noting the look in Nolan's eyes. He knew that look well. He usually hid in another building when he saw it.

"Who said you could order for me?" Mako demanded.

"You didn't mind it when I ordered for you at Valentino's," Nolan growled.

"No," she retorted, "And you didn't mind it when about a million girls followed you from the restaurant, asking for autographs."

"They're fans," he snapped, "I can't do anything about that."

"Yes, you can, Nolan, but you won't - and that's your problem in a nutshell."

"My problem!?" He leaped up from the seat to face Mako who was already standing with her hands on her hips.

"What about you," he countered, "You are so damned determined to be independent - you won't even let me by you a drink."

"I don't want a coke!"

"Fine!"

They were both breathing very heavily at this point and looking very much like two bulls facing off.

"Uh, guys," Jude began.

"Would it kill you to tell them to leave you alone?" Mako demanded, "To say "I have a girlfriend"?"

"Well, acording to you I don't have one," he countered, darkly.

"And it's not surprising," she said, hotly, "When you act like a - a - a playboy!"

"Playboy!?" Nolan thundered, "What about you in the restaurant, you were practically trying to seduce me in public."

Mako's mouth dropped open. Her hair had come completely undone and her fists were clenching.

"I was trying to show them that you're mine!"

"Some method you picked!"

"Well, what choice did you give me, you big idiot!?"

"Mako-chan!" Nolan rumbled angrily, "I did not flirt with those girls."

"You don't have to," Mako snarled, "They're all over you anyway."

"What about you - half the guys in this place have been checking you out - don't think I haven't noticed!"

"This is getting out of hand," Jude whispered to Rei.

"I'll just -" Rei began, starting to stand up.

Mako slammed her fist onto the bar top, causing several glasses to fall off and shatter.

"Hey!" A man who's glass had fallen called angrily.

"Shut up!" Mako commanded.

The man blinked at her in fear.

"Or maybe not," Rei finished.

"What do you want from me, Mako?" Nolan demanded, almost desperately.

Mako took a few sharp breaths in like a fighter getting ready for the first punch.

"Alright, here's what I want," she said, slowly, "I want you to tell every other girl in the world that you're mine and they can't touch you."

She stared at him, expectantly. Half the people in the bar also watched, spell-bound.

Nolan blinked.

"That's impossible," he began, actually in earnest. Mako didn't let him get any further.

"Then just give them this - from me," she said and gave Nolan the smoothest round-house punch Jude had ever seen. Nolan went down like a sack of potatoes.

"Wow," Jude breathed.

Mako stared down at Nolan for a moment and then, clearly upset, threw a twenty-dollar bill on the bar top and ran off before either Rei or Jude could move.

"I'll go get her," Rei started.

"Wait," Jude cautioned. He crouched beside Nolan and helped him sit up. Nolan was rubbing his eye and blinking away stars.

"She punched me," he stated, incredulously.

"Yep," Jude answered.

"You remember when I said you needed the bravest girl in the world?" he went on.

Nolan nodded.

"Well, she just ran out the door. I think you'd better start running if you want to catch her."

Nolan grasped awkwardly for Jude's hand and pulled himself to his feet. He was only slightly wobbly.

"Go get her, Tiger." Jude patted his best friend on the back and tried to steady him immediately thereafter.

"Maybe he should rest," Rei suggested, eying Nolan's unsteady gait toward the door.

"Naw," Jude waved a hand, "Nolan's tough. He used to kick-box; - head injuries are old hat."

"Speaking of boxing - Mako-"

"Is an ex-professional boxer." Rei finished.

Jude laughed.

"Perfect. Clearly a match made in heaven."

"Or somewhere." Rei muttered.


	15. Chapter 15

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen **

* * *

"Did you see what just happened?" Usa balked.

Mamoru, from his greater height, watched Mako rush out of the club.

"I think that Miss Kino and Mr. Starre have had an argument."

"Really!?"

Usa started to push her way through the crowd, but Mamoru caught her arm and pulled her back.

"Wait," he cautioned, then, keeping a light hand on her, he made way through the slowly disipating people to where Rei and Jude were sitting.

"Rei, what happened?" Usa demanded as soon as she could emerge from behind Mamoru's back.

Rei seemed surprised to see her suddenly appear out of nowhere and looked at Mamoru as though he might be a magician.

"Mako punched Nolan Starre."

Usa's eyes grew gigantic.

"No way,"she breathed.

"Is he dead?"

Rei merely gave Usa a flat look, but Jude chuckled before he could help it. Behind her, Mamoru smiled.

"No, he's alive - or was about a minute ago. Don't even think about going after them -" Rei commanded as Usa moved in the direction of the door.

"But, Rei -"

"Don't 'but'," Rei repoved, "I know you want to help, but they need to sort it out by themselves."

Usa looked ridiculously disapointed. She sat dismally on the stool beside Rei.

"Cheer up," Mamoru commented off-handedly, leaning against the bar beside her.

"They'll work it out."

Jude blinked in surprise and turned to get a better look at Mamoru.

"Do my ears decieve me or did you actually just express some human interest?" he asked.

Mamoru scowled aloofly.

"I was just trying to be sociable," he answered.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Never better."

Jude looked again at Mamoru's stance, leaning indolently, indifferently, against the bar, just behind Usa's seated figure. But as he looked Jude began to notice that there was a slightly protective manner to Mamoru's pose.

"I see," Jude said, wryly.

Mamoru lifted an eyebrow but offered nothing else. Usa started to spin slowly on her stool, her legs not quite touching the ground.

"Well, shall we?" Jude asked, holding out a hand to Rei.

She looked at it dubiously.

"Shall we what?" she asked.

Jude sighed in exasperation.

"Dance. There's nothing else to do."

"I told you - I don't dance like that."

"I know," Jude said, patiently, "But if you'll care to tell me how you do prefer to dance -"

"Unless you're proficient at the tango, I suggest you find some other form of amusement."

Jude lowered his hand, and turned on his heel, leaving Usa, Rei and Mamoru to watch his defeated retreat.

"Rei, sometimes you are just too mean," Usa complained, "Would it kill you to dance with him?"

"Possibly," Rei answered.

Mamoru laughed silently.

"You know," he obsereved, slipping into Japanese, "You shouldn't judge him too harshly. Everest may be a country bumpkin, but he's also full of surprises."

"As well as other things," Rei observed, also in Japanese. She sipped her cosmopolitan with cool indifference.

"Finally, I don't have to think so hard," Usa declared happily, "English makes my head hurt."

"If you'd bothered to practice in school," Rei reminded her, "You wouldn't have so much trouble."

"Nag, nag, nag," Usa sighed, shaking her head at Mamoru, "That's all she does. I thought leaving Japan would be more fun - atleast my mother wouldn't call me every day - but living with Rei is almost worse than being with my mother."

"Hino-san gives good advice, however," Mamoru countered, giving Rei's elegant detatchment a run for its money, "You shouldn't make her waste her breath."

Usa looked from Rei to Mamoru, both identical pictures of ice statues - cold, attractive and distant.

"Sometimes I wonder whether either one of you knows how to have fun," she said, "If you aren't careful, you're going to die old, alone and miserable."

"Jude-san!" she called, before they could retort, and forgetting to speak English, "I'll dance with you!"

As she jumped up to catch the returning Jude, Rei and Mamoru stood up at the same time with a new alertness in their postures. They paused and looked at each other, both slightly stiff and embarassed, but still haughty.

"Of course it's none of my business," Rei began.

"Tsukino-san can dance with whomever she wants -" Mamoru started.

They both stopped, awkwardly. Fortunately Jude and Usa had come back to the bar.

"I really don't mind," Usa was saying, still in Japanese, "Rei and Chiba-san are so difficult - and I love dancing."

"Usa, he can't understand -" Rei started.

"That's alright, Tsukino-san," Jude answered in fluent Japanese, "I promised that I'd make her have fun, and I'll do it or die trying."

He gazed directly at Rei, almost in challenge, as he delivered these last words.

Rei blinked.

"Full of surprises," Mamoru murmured, sipping his drink.

"So," Jude continued, with a small smile, "Shall we?"

"Tango?" she asked, utterly caught off guard.

"Of course."

Jude's smile blossomed as Rei put her hand in his and he led her onto the floor as the harsher club music ceased and an old tune began to play.

"What is this?" Rei asked.

"It's called a dance floor," Jude informed her, putting his arms around her before she could protest.

"Thank you," she answered, voice dripping sarcasm, "I meant your knowing Japanese."

Jude shrugged.

"Maybe I'm a spy," he suggested.

Rei rolled her eyes. She would have said more but the music began and she became lost in dancing. For the moment.

"That looks like so much fun," Usa sighed, watching Rei and Jude twirl around one another in a graceful yet antagonistic manner.

"Would you like to?" Mamoru asked, carelessly, "Dance, I mean?"

Usa looked at him with wide eyes.

"Oh, I can't dance like that," she protested.

"It's not that hard; I can help you."

"But I'm so clumsy."

"So?" He pushed himself away from the bar, "Are you going to let that stop you?"

She gingerly slipped off her stool.

"No?"

"Good," he smiled, and tucked her hand in his.

"Follow me."

Usa held her breath, wondering at her own heart beat as it sped up. She thought it must have been nervous excitement, but she wasn't sure which made her more nervous - dancing a tango or dancing with Mamoru. Probably both.

They stood facing one another and Usa didn't quite know what to do, so she waited for Mamoru to make the first move.

Mamoru removed his jacket and slipped it on the back of a chair, then he approached Usa slowly and placed one arm on his shoulder and the other he took in his hand.

"Just trust me," he murmured.

Usa licked her lips nervously and gave a little laugh.

"That's easier said than done," she noted.

For some reason he suddenly looked almost pained.

"I know," he said, quietly, and drew her a little closer.

Usa knew better, but for a moment she almost thought she'd detected a note of unhappiness in his voice.

"Where did you learn to dance like this?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, some acting school," he answered, disinterestedly. He twirled her around before she could ask another question.

"Tell me something," she said, after a moment during which she was desperately tying to figure out where to put her feet.

"Of course."

"Why did you leave Japan?"

"Lots of reasons," he sighed, "Mostly because I missed you."

"What?"

Mamoru dropped his hand as he realized belatedly that he'd spoken that last bit out loud.


	16. Chapter 16

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

"Makoto!" Nolan shouted at the top of his lungs.

Mako was so furious and hurt she didn't turn around. She was crying and couldn't see well - which was rather dangerous when crossing the street. Nolan barely snatched her elbow in time to pull her back from a speeding cab.

His saving her from being a pancake only made her cry harder.

Nolan had planned what he would say to her - how he would apologize for the things that made her (in his opinion) irrationally angry - but seeing her lose control so completely caused him to swallow his words in his throat.

He stood there for a moment, watching her heave huge sobs, before he gently placed his hand on her shoulder and tugged her toward him. He folded her into his arms and she let her head rest on his shoulder, still sobbing, for at least a few moments before she realized what was going on and jerked away.

Nolan winced as bright, sparkling green eyes hit his own with accusation and hurt.

"I'm sorry," he started, helplessly, then stopped as she just looked at him - sucking in big gasps of air and trying furiously to stop crying.

"Please," he murmured, "don't cry anymore, baby."

He lifted a hand to her face, but she pulled away.

"Don't call me that unless you mean it!" she managed to shout and gulp.

Both of them were utterly oblivious to their audience of pedestrians on the busy sidewalk.

His brows snapped into a frown.

"I _do_mean it, Mako."

"But I can't tell," she insisted, becoming more desperate than angry, "You don't understand - when there are so many beautiful girls in the world..."

Here her crying threatened to overtake her again.

"And you're so...so you," she went on, gesturing at him violently to make her incomprehensible sentence clearer.

"And look at me," she finished, her voice nearly crumpling, "I'm big and clumsy and awkward...and it's just me. That's all there is - how can I compete with all of them?"

Nolan was, at this point, utterly shocked. By many things. He was, of course, shocked by Mako's inability to see herself at all clearly; he was shocked at the vulnerability she was showing him at the moment; and he was very shocked by the overwhelming urge to do exactly as she'd asked him to - so being a man of impulse and feeling, he followed his gut. Or his heart.

He pulled her forward into a tight embrace from which she couldn't find the energy to work her way out of, and tucking her head under his chin, he murmured:

"Sweetheart, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met. Hush," he commanded as she took a breath to argue.

"The first time I saw you I knew you were the penultimate - do you think I always ask a girl out when I've only known her for five minutes?"

Mako took a deep, shaky breath and shook her head against his neck. The sensation was pleasant, but Nolan pulled his thoughts back to the task at hand.

"Since I met you I haven't thought about any other woman, I swear it. But if it will make you feel better -" he pulled away and cradled her face in his hands so that she had to meet his eyes.

"I, Nolan Starre, solemnly promise that I will, henceforth, punch every girl other than you who dares to approach me."

Mako gave a small laugh in spite of herself - it was very much wet and choked, but it made him smile in return.

"I only belong to you," he said softly, gazing into her eyes, "Just you. Always."

Mako sucked in a breath as her eyes widened and would have said a lot, but Nolan interrupted her thoughts with a kiss that he could no longer restrain himself from taking.

* * *

"What did you say?" Usa repeated, her eyes wide in surprise. She unconsciously took a step back.

Mamoru cursed himself under his breath. But as he looked into her eyes, beseeching and at the same time, frightened, he realized he might as well come clean. There was nothing else he really wanted to do.

"I didn't mean to tell you like this," he began, "But I suppose it doesn't matter now."

"Tell me what?" Usa backed another step, which sent a tremor through his heart.

"You don't remember me," he said with a sigh, "I guess I looked really different then. Obviously. But - maybe this will help."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, delicate object which he then placed in her hand.

Usa looked down at a single, fragile dried rose - long dead and without much scent - but it was powerful enough to make her gasp. She turned shocked eyes to him.

"You can't be," she stuttered, "Not you."

Mamoru's face betrayed pain for a brief moment before he covered it up.

"I was afraid this would be your reaction," he said, quietly, "But you would have found out sooner or later."

"But how -?"

She allowed him to pull her toward the edge of the dance floor where there was more privacy.

"Doesn't the name Chiba ring any bells?"

"But it's a common name," she argued, "And you're you - and he was - and you -"

Mamoru took a deep breath and encouraged Usa to do likewise.

"I lived next door to you for five years, until you went to junior high. That was when my parents died and I moved."

"That's why you left?" she asked, "If it _was_ you."

"It was me," he answered, patiently, "I'm the boy you played 'Sailor Moon' with in your backyard. I was the one who gave you your first black eye."

"I remember that!" she gasped, shocked, "I cried all day."

"You always have overreacted to things," he observed.

"I do n-"

"Let me finish," he broke in quickly, "You gave me this rose the day before I moved. I didn't tell you because I didn't think it would matter - but..."

"It didn't matter?" she repeated, "You were my best friend, beside Mina! You were my first love, for pete's sake."

For some reason this made him absurdly pleased - but he kept it to himself and only blushed slightly.

"But you didn't even recognize me when we saw each other again," he pointed out.

"But I - but that's not fair," she retorted, "You were _Chiba Mamoru_ by then. You were a super star!"

"And yet that wasn't the reason you dumped your drink on me, was it?" he demanded.

"But you look just like Seiya!" she shouted, desperately, "It was because he looked like you that I -"

She cut off short, and put her hand to her mouth.

"That you what?" he asked, curiously.

Usagi alternated between firey red and pale.

"I-I-I...nothing."

His smile grew of its own accord.

"It couldn't be that you hooked up with that loser because he reminded you of...me?"

Usa took her hand off of her mouth long enough to let out a short, nervous laugh.

"It couldn't be," he went on, leaning in closer to her and lifting her bangs gently out of her face, "That you still like me, hm?"

He'd over stepped the line on that one. She jerked back and threw her hair over her shoulder.

"As if," she declared, "As far as I'm concerned you abandoned me."

Mamoru frowned impatiently.

"Is that so?" he asked, quietly.

They stared at one another for a moment or two. It was amazing, incredible that they had found each other again after so much time had passed - practically it was impossible. There were walls that both had yet to overcome, and many things that would require years to put behind them and to learn to do again. But because it was an impossible moment, they were both wise enough to realize that it was their only chance. Fate had dealt them a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"But," Usa finally relented, "I might be willing to talk over old times...if you buy me a drink."

Mamoru slowly lifted one graceful eye brow.

"A drink?"

Usa smiled mischievously and took his arm. He turned them toward the bar.

"Alright... Odango Atama."

"I told you never to call me that!"

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

A pair of serious, sky blue eyes met an astonished pair of sapphire eyes.

"As your friend, and as perhaps the single most knowledgeable person when it comes to love, I want to offer you some advice, Ami-chan."

Ami's stricken and confused expression only honed Mina's determination.

"What do you think about Zoe?"

Ami alternated between blushing and fidgiting.

"What do I think of him?" she repeated, "I – uh...that is...what do you mean?"

This was all well and good, but now that Mina had introduced the topic of 'love' – Ami was suddenly extremely uncomfortable.

"I mean – do you think you might like him?"

"I – like a friend?"

Mina sighed, but reminded herself of the virtues of patience.

"No, Ami-chan. I mean do you think you might have any romantic feelings for him?"

"R-romantic!?" Ami squeaked, her eyes bulging.

"But I don't know anything about that!" She stuttered, "I mean - I've _read -_"

Mina took a breath to compose herself and rethink her strategy.

"You've lived with him for three days, practically, and you don't seem to mind talking to him – and I've never seen you act this way with any other man...so I just wondered if you maybe felt something special for him?"

Ami blushed beet red and frowned.

"H-how would I know something like that?" she asked, completely sincerely.

Mina controlled her features and replied calmly:

"Well, there are little things that might indicate it," she began, trying to make the explanation as logical and technical as possible so that it would be easier for Ami to listen:

"For instance, do you look forward to seeing him or talking to him? Or do you think about him when he isn't with you?"

Ami's eyes widened even further and she hesitantly nodded.

"Ok," Mina breathed, leaning in a little more, "Do you ever get nervous when he looks at you? Does your heart speed up?"

"Oh," Ami gasped, "Yes, I had noticed that!"

Mina started to smile.

"Very good; and do you laugh a lot when you're with him?"

"Well, yes."

"Uh-huh," Mina checked the symptoms off mentally, "And when he touches you, even if it's accidental, do you feel really...erm...nervous?"

"Yes!" Ami whispered, amazed at Mina's almost divine powers of understanding this phenomenon.

Mina leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Well there you go, Ami. I think it's safe to say that you have a crush."

Ami was utterly dumbstruck.

Mina took advantage of her silence to order an amaretto sour for Ami which the other girl drank without paying attention, as soon as Mina nudged it toward her. The drink seemed to have a sobering affect on Ami – she snapped out of her shock and looked at Mina with desperation.

"What should I do!?" she demanded.

"Whoa, there. Calm down, it's nothing to be worried about. All we need to do is look at things logically."

Mina was privately astounded at the words coming out of her mouth – never in her life would she have imagined herself trying to explain the finer points of male and female relationships in this manner.

"If you think you like Zoe then you just need to find out if he likes you."

Ami nodded until this last part, which caused her to go into another temporary coma.

"Ami-chan!" Mina barked, snapping her fingers in Ami's face.

"Focus!"

Ami blinked.

"He- he – he -" she stuttered, "Like me?"

"Yes," Mina nodded, gently smiling, "That's right. Very good. And the easiest way to find out is to ask him point blank. Of course I'll be handling that -"

"What!?" Ami nearly shrieked.

"You can't!" she panted, "What if he doesn't reciprocate!? What if he only likes me for my brain!?"

"Ami, calm down."

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I"

"Breathe!"

Together they inhaled and exhaled until Ami was too light-headed to freak out.

"It's alright. I'm not going to let him know that you like him, ok? This is called 'playing the game', Ami. It's like chess."

"Chess?"

"Exactly – it's all about strategy," Mina smiled slowly, "All you need to do is make sure that you make it as difficult as possible for him to win you over. Play hard to get, and you'll have him begging you for – er -" she hastily amended what she'd been planning to say: "Begging you for a date."

"A date?" Ami hissed, freezing up.

Mina sighed inwardly.

"Yes, and I'll help you with that too. But first thing is first. I want to know how he feels about you – and if he is playing around (I'm not saying he is, Ami-chan – breathe!) then I'm going to personally boot his worthless, frilly ass to China."

Mina began to smile rather evilly contemplating this happy prospect. Ami's labored breaths pulled her back down to reality.

"Now, the only thing I want you to promise me is that you'll go slow and you will be careful," she encouraged the other girl.

Ami gulped, turned white as a sheet, then finally nodded. It was as if this promise was the final admission that she did indeed have a crush.

"Good – and don't worry about it, Ami," Mina flashed her a trademark smile, "A crush is a good thing!"

Ami nodded, and clutched her amaretto sour to her chest.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room at a similar booth, two pairs of green eyes – one with a starched grey tint to it, faced off.

"Explain to me again why you foisted yourself onto Miss Mizuno with as many manners as if you'd been raised in a barn?" Kip asked, politely.

Zoe gulped nervously. He knew what his brother's tone and icy stare meant.

"Ami's my friend," he began, weakly, "And I kind of wasn't thinking."

"Uh-huh."

Zoe felt his face flush a bit red, but he tried hard to hold onto his new found independence.

"Besides, she doesn't mind," he retorted, "So you shouldn't either."

Kip's frowned deepened to one of great displeasure.

"What I really mind is just what you're up to with Miss Mizuno...what are your intentions?"

Zoe nearly face vaulted. Had his brother really just asked him that!?

One look at Kip's no-nonsense, stoic face and Zoe knew his answer.

"I...like her," he admitted, coughing uncomfortably.

Kip raised one silver eyebrow.

"A lot." Zoe mumbled.

Kip continued to stare at him inflexibly.

"Alright!" Zoe burst out, his face flushing completely, "I'm crazy about her! Are you happy!?"

As he puffed and panted Zoe was shocked to see Kip's face melt slowly into a genuinely content smile.

"Yes," he said, "I am very happy."

"Eh?" Zoe was having a difficult time keeping up.

"I've been waiting for you to find someone you could open up to and I think you finally have," Kip answered, "And I am over-joyed. Miss Mizuno is an excellent person."

"Yeah," Zoe breathed in relief.

"Which is why I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't have to be worried about her in the future after I give you permission to see her."

"Permission to see her?" Zoe repeated, incredulously, "What is this, the middle ages?"

Kip smiled, sardonically.

"I'm still you're guardian."

"I'm a grown man," Zoe complained.

"Then I have nothing to worry about, do I?"

"You're too much," Zoe sighed, and took a sip of his martini.

"There's something else I want to say to you," Kip began, his tone changing as his eyes slid down to his hands playing with a straw.

"What's that? Are you going to make me come home?"

"No," Kip answered, "I'm glad you want to be out on your own. But I wanted to tell you that Mina and I – that we are...we -"

"I know," Zoe answered, promptly, amused at his big brother's sudden shyness.

"You do?" Kip asked, surprised.

"Of course," Zoe replied, leaning back with a careless bravado.

"I'm not blind – and I was the one who set you up after all," he pointed out, "So you owe me."

"I don't quite see your line of reasoning," Kip informed him, "But I'm relieved to hear that you are ok with it."

"I'm ecstatic about it," Zoe declared, "It's about damn time!"

Kip looked at him for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"Here, here," he murmured.

"You guys," Zoe scoffed, taking a swift swig of martini, "You're so slow. If it'd been me – I would have hooked her the first time around."

"No doubt you know much more about women than I do," Kip replied, modestly folding his hands.

"I'll say," Zoe chuckled, "Geez, you never even dated anyone after or before Mina, did you? Maybe I can give you a few pointers."

Kip merely raised his eyebrows at this, and smiled - a rather considering look in his eyes that Zoe would have done well to have noticed. Alas, he did not pick up on this or on his brother's almost too casual tone.

"How kind of you."

"Well," Zoe plopped the empty glass on the table.

"Was that all? Cause I'm in the middle of a date – even if she doesn't know it yet."

Kip smiled to himself and turned around in his seat to signal Mina. Zoe and he watched as Mina swayed over to their table, accompanied by the more demure Ami (who looked a little scared at this point).

Zoe turned to greet them, but Kip beat him to it, standing smoothly and taking Mina's hand gently. As Zoe watched in growing amazement, Kip slid past Mina to Ami, took her hand before she knew what he was doing, and drew her toward the table – managing to somehow rest one arm around her shoulders in the process.

"Oh, Miss Mizuno," he murmured, his low voice raising the hair on both Mina and Ami's necks, "That is such a lovely necklace."

He carefully lifted the sparkling blue gem with one finger, lightly brushing Ami's skin, and admired the way it twinkled in the light. Ami gave a little, involuntary shiver.

"Very beautiful," he all but purred, looking deeply into Ami's eyes. Ami actually sighed. Zoe yelped. Mina began to growl.

As if sensing the change in atmosphere, Kip released Ami, giving her the gentlest of pushes in Zoe's direction.

Zoe blinked, staring at his brother as if he'd never seen him before – perhaps he hadn't. Then, before Kip could do anything else, Zoe grabbed Ami's hand and pulled her closer to him.

Kip noticed the gesture and his face broke into a terribly amused smirk.

"I'll have to ask you about those pointers later," he told Zoe, apologetically. Taking Mina's hand in his, and catching her meaningful glare, he repentantly smoothed her hand in his and turned it over, kissing the inside of her wrist lightly.

It was a simple gesture, but Mina felt her knees turn to jelly. It didn't help that her anger and jealousy entirely melted when Kip looked up at her from bending over her hand with a gaze that could have set a glacier on fire.

"Let's join Miss Hino and Jude, Angel," he suggested, smoothly, "They look like they're enjoying themselves."

Mina sucked in her breath, Ami momentarily forgotten, and nodded. Kip led her to the dance floor as an utterly dumbfounded Ami and Zoe watched. As Mina wrapped her arms around Kip's neck, Kip caught Zoe's eye. There was a decided twinkle.

Zoe just caught himself from swearing under his breath. He turned to look at Ami, possessively.

"Do you want to dance, Ami?"

"Oh, I don't think so," she answered, shyly, "I think I'd like to sit and talk with you."

Zoe smiled at her response and tucked her hand into his arm.

"Let's get a little air then," he said, "Want to go for a walk?"

Ami nodded, trying to control her blushing.

But as they exited the club, she completely lost control.

Mako and Nolan, it was apparent, had not yet remembered that they were in public and had progressed from a simple kiss to a more demonstrative show of affection. They weren't quite in danger of public indecency yet, but they were working their way toward that goal with a vengeance. If anyone had had any doubts about Nolan's preferences regarding a monogamous relationship they must have been laid irretrievably to rest by his very public 'announcement'.

Ami gaped at them, goggle eyed, and even Zoe was wide eyed for a moment or two.

Eventually, however, he cleared his throat, tightened his hold on Ami's hand and manfully steered them clear of Mako and Nolan.

"Well," Ami breathed, coloring ridiculously as she peeped up at him, "That was quite – uh – interesting."

Zoe suddenly grinned.

"Hey, you said you like to learn, didn't you, Ami-chan?"

Ami blushed even more at the suffix, so much that she didn't pay attention to Zoe's tone.

"Yes, I do."

"I've just thought of something _I_ can teach you."

Ami had a bad feeling about Zoe's smile, but it was so fascinating that she just couldn't quite let it go without returning one in kind.

* * *

**A.N.** Alright! I'm so glad you say you are enjoying the story so far. Finally we can get to the fun part - the cuteness! **Valkyrie **- you crack me up as always. Thank you so much for your reviews. And **Charlie C2** you are the best - I can't tell you how happy I am that you like this story and the characters. It really makes my day. Well, it's almost over. It's a comedy so it has to end with some light-hearted nonsense. Thanks to all for reading! I'm going to start working on _Ties That Bind_ after this, so it'll be nice to write in the Sailor Moon universe again.

- F.F.


	18. Chapter 18

**Stars**

Chapter Eighteen (Finale)

* * *

_'There may be trouble ahead...'_

The singer crooned the slow waltz as Rei and Jude spun together in languorous and unhurried circles, the distance between them having become somewhat smaller.

The firey tango they'd been dancing had left them both exhausted, since she had been determined to out dance him, and he just as determined not to let her do it.

Now Rei almost felt grateful for his supporting arm around her waist and hand at her back.

She let her mind drift over the thoughts of the past few weeks, listening idly as he hummed along with the music.

_'So while there's moonlight, and music, and love and romance...'_

She allowed herself a small smile as she caught sight of the couple dancing just beyond Jude's shoulder. Usagi was considerably shorter than Mamoru, but he made up for her height by allowing her to put her feet on his shoes while they danced. It was probably a good idea, Rei reflected, considering how clumsy Usagi generally was - though even she had her moments of grace.

Jude twirled them again slowly in a half circle and now Rei saw, to some astonishment (though she'd had her suspicions), Mina and Kip dancing together in the manner generally adopted by old married couples and newly weds (which was to say, people who were either very close or very much in love) - her cheek on his shoulder, and his cheek resting on the crown of her head. He still held one hand against his free shoulder, and the other wrapped all the way around her waist.

Rei wondered what it was like, to feel that close to another person. A memory crossed her mind and she scowled.

"What's wrong?"

She pulled back from her brown study to find Jude's worried blue eyes gazing down at her.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"About what? Something bad, from your expression."

"Not at all."

"How could you think about something unpleasant during such a wonderful moment?"

She knew he was teasing her, but felt an impulse to tell him the truth.

"I was thinking about a phone call I got today."

He raised his eyebrows but said nothing - his silence inviting her to speak more than any coaxing words would have.

"My father's business partner - he - they want me to come back."

'They do, do they' - he thought, but said:

"Did they hear about our little...incident?"

Rei made a face.

"Apparently - they don't suspect what really happened - they bought the 'engaged' story - but it's made my father furious all the same."

"Furious - because it's me?"

She tried to pierce that mask of his, but she still couldn't tell what he thought.

"Yes."

"Hm."

He whirled them around again, thinking.

"Well?" She frowned at having been goaded into a question - into admitting that she cared what he thought.

"Well?"

"What do you think?"

"I think," he said slowly, "That you should absolutely stay here with me."

Her mouth became a thin line - this was the answer she'd secretly hoped for (so secret she hadn't even admitted it to herself yet), and yet at the same time it frightened her - she felt her heart beating erratically, and a faint trickle of fear at the base of her neck.

"Will you?"

His voice was low and it was hard for her to resist it, but it was just as hard to muster up the courage to look at him.

"I don't know."

"You should do what you want, Rei. Whatever that is."

She didn't miss the emphasis.

"I will. And I don't need you to tell me that."

"That's what you think."

"Who are you to tell me what I think and what I don't?" she retorted, "What makes you an authority on my feelings?"

"It's because I'm falling in love with you, I think."

They were both silent for a long moment, standing in the middle of the dance floor.

"Do you mean you 'think' you are or..."

He would never know how hard it was for her to even ask that question - when all her experience was screaming at her to walk out the door and go back to Japan where she knew what to expect, and where she was confident of winning the battles she'd find there. This was new, and old, and familiar and frighteningly unfamiliar for her.

"I meant that it's because I definitely am that I can tell what you're thinking," he replied, daring to smooth a strand of her hair behind her ear. She allowed the touch, but just barely.

"That's my theory, anyway."

"You can say that so easily."

"What?" He smiled - but was wise enough not to let any of the pity he felt show in his face. He felt much more than pity for Rei, of course, but at the moment he was seeing her as a child who'd been both hurt and abandoned beyong endurance. It was hard not to embrace her and promise to protect her from anything and everything, and to make everything better (as impossible as such promises were) - and he wanted to do that so badly his hands shook - but he knew it was the wrong move. Right now.

"Yes."

"It's easy for me - I almost can't help it."

That smile again - tender and playful at the same time. It made her feel safer - more secure with her surroundings again.

"You're always joking," she murmured, but she smiled a little.

"Not now."

"No."

"Your father's business partner," he began, with a frown.

"Yes, he was my finance."

Jude's face became both possessive and slightly pouting and Rei actually chuckled.

"Now, you really have to stay here," he complained, "Otherwise, I'll have to worry about a rival who's half way around the world."

"Not that far."

"Don't squabble over specifics."

"Who says you're in the position to worry about rivals anyway?" she pointed out.

He smiled, a very different smile now - one full of mischief. He drew her hand back into his and picked up where they'd left off dancing.

"We'll see. If you stay, I'll show you what position I can be in."

Rei rolled her eyes at this, but felt a little jolt in her heart, all the same. Somehow, without realizing it, she had been thawing - for quite a while now.

"What do you say, hm?" he twirled her once, "Gonna stick around and give it a shot?"

"Hm..." she pursed her lips, "I'll think about it."

"Good enough for me."

Rei let him continue to lead her as they waltzed, and she glanced out the door, where a couple who looked very familiar were engaged in some extraordinary behavior for the busy streets.

'Well, so much for that disagreement,' she thought - but it made her smile.

"I think I just saw Zoe walking out with Miss Mizuno on his arm - surely that's impossible -"

"Really?" Rei tried to see, but they were already gone.

"Of course, what woman in her right mind would -"

"Want someone with so many obvious problems?" she finished.

Jude looked down at her for a long moment - his face lacking all traces of jest.

"Point taken," he murmured, and drew her just a little closer, which she allowed.

"So while there's moonlight, and music, and love and romance..." he sang softly -

They swayed together as the lights on the floor darkened.

"Let's face the music and dance..."

* * *

Author's NOTE:

And that's the end. Thanks for being so patient. I didn't meant to but I kind of lost interest in this story before the very end. I had always meant for the ending to be a little ambiguous (i.e. everyone does not end up securely in happy-ever-after land - I think there should be a more realistic feel of potential relationships rather than concrete marriage knots) but I hadn't meant to take so long getting to that.

So thank you for reading and all the helpful reviews!

- FF


	19. Epilogue

**Stars**

Epilogue

* * *

_I'd been watching them for so long. Wondering if they would make it through this lifetime - if things would finally be the way she wanted them to be when she first made that wish so long ago._

_I think I can see how, even without my help - really I did practically nothing - they all seem to find each other. It's fate - if you believe in that._

She takes a small breath and looks up at the night sky, trailing her hands along the rails of a balcony.

_And now, I know how it will play out. _

_Like a perfect symphony._

Setsuna raised her phone to her ear and listened as the voice on the other end greeted her.

"- we've missed you. Are you coming back to manage us, Setsuna-sensei?"

"Of course, Tenoh-san. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I think my work here with the girls' band is almost over."

"I'm glad to hear it - though I'm sure you're sorry to leave them."

"Well, I will miss them," Setsuna smiled to herself, "But rock and roll really isn't my thing."

"Michiru and I can't wait to have you back. We've found this cellist - a prodigy really - she's only thirteen years old and already she can keep up with both of us..."

"You don't say?"

Sestuna was having a hard time hiding her smile.

"Yeah - well...the truth is," there was an embarrassed cough, "Michiru's sort of getting to that stage of...ah...wanting to start a family...and we've been thinking about adopting this kid -"

"Really?" Setsuna tried to sound surprised.

"Yeah, she's just so cute, you have to see her! Big dark eyes and the sweetest little face - looks scared to death all the time - but it's probably because I'm too loud -"

"I can't imagine that."

"Well, anyway, we'll all be glad to see you."

"I'll be glad to see you as well. If you won't mind my visiting you for so long - I hate to impose on newly weds."

"Oh for crying out loud, this is the fortieth century, Setsuna - we won't care if you're in the house - as long as you don't care what we get up to at -"

"That's alright," Setsuna cut in with a quick laugh, "I promise I'll update my old-fashioned thinking."

"Oh, Sets...I've missed you."

"I'll be there soon."

She hung up the phone.

"Well," she whispered, glancing up at the moon hanging round and full in the sky.

"It's done, princess."


End file.
